


Living Again

by steampunkmagic



Series: Living Again [2]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Lots of Angst, Pregnancy, Prophetic Dreams, Romance, Victorian Clara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-10-05
Packaged: 2017-12-21 21:54:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 59,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steampunkmagic/pseuds/steampunkmagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the events in 'In The Autumn of Terror'.<br/>Life with the Doctor is everything Clara imagined and more. Now that they are together everyday is full of adventure and romance. But with the threat of ultimate tragedy haunting their every step, the universe has many surprises in store for Clara and the Doctor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Begin Again

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place after my story 'In the Autumn of Terror' so I highly recommend reading that first.  
> This is a big story and its still in progress. I just joined this site so a bunch of chapters will be updated quickly then I will start posting in real time :)  
> I always love to hear peoples thoughts!  
> Enjoy :D

**~Begin Again~**

 

                Clara didn’t want to open her eyes.   She'd had the most amazing dream.   That's when she felt a finger trailing down her spine, causing memory to return.   She was in the Doctor's bed.   Clara grinned into her pillow realizing it hadn't been a dream after all.   Rolling over she met his smiling gaze.

                "Morning." the Doctor said.

                "Morning." she replied blissfully. 

                 Clara traced the planes of his chest with her fingertips, loving the way he shivered at her touch.   They kissed lightly, savoring the moment.   Clara never imagined she could feel like this.   The Doctor made her feel like she was on fire.   He made her feel safe, and warm, and loved.   All at the same time.

                "Any where you want to go today?  Your first trip?" the Doctor asked.   His eyes ran over her body.  "Of course we could just stay here."

                Clara had to admit the second option sounded promising.   It was hard to think of where to go, knowing of nothing beyond the Solar System.   "I want to see the stars.   Somewhere different." she said.

                A wide grin split the Doctor's face.   When he smiled Clara couldn’t imagine any man could be more handsome.    She loved him more than anything, and it astounded her that this timeless, god-like being loved her too.   How could anyone be so lucky?

                He kissed her again before getting out of bed.   Clara stole his shirt off the floor before he could grab it.   It hung like a dress on her small frame.    Her nightgown was still in her room somewhere on the other side of the ship.    Clara began inspecting the Doctor's bedroom for the first time.   She'd been, well, _distracted_ before. 

                It wasn’t very large.   A bed, a desk, and a collection of bookcases.   It looked messy and chaotic, but Clara suspected everything was actually perfectly organized in a manner that only made sense to him.   Along with books the shelves also held little objects that the Doctor had collected on his travels.   A recorder sat next to a glowing crystal, and a fob watch was propped against a tin box baring the legend 'London Underground'.    Clara picked up a well worn book off the desk; it had clearly been read dozens of times.

                The Doctor noticed what she was looking at, "Ah _Harry Potter_.   Best books to ever come off your planet."

                "May I read it?" Clara asked. 

                He laughed, "Of course.   You have a whole library to choose from."

                "A library?"  Her eyes lit up.  She loved reading, it was one of the reasons Clara was such a good governess.

                "Yep, it's in the swimming pool."

                Clara raised an eyebrow.

                "Don't ask me." the Doctor said, "I didn’t put it there.  It used to be next to the squash courts."

                "Just how big is this place?" she wondered.

                "Honestly I have no idea.   I tried to find out once, but after several hours walking I got hungry and gave up."

                "You're ridiculous."

* * *

 

                Clara leaned against the railing, watching the Doctor working at the console.   She needed him to teach her how it operated one day.   In his enthusiasm the Doctor reminded her of a child, as he ran around flipping switches.   His energy was manic and so different from the darkness he displayed just days ago.   Clara glowed knowing her part in it; she was bringing him back to life. 

                The Doctor's wardrobe had also changed this morning.   Instead of the frayed Victorian suit she was used to, he wore a long purple tweed jacket and a bow tie.   He also left off the top hat.   Now the Doctor actually looked like he was from a different time than her.  

                Clara also forgave her traditional clothing for the sake of practicality.   She felt her modest day dresses didn't suit anymore.   Having shared a bed with a man before marriage, modesty was out the window.    Not that she was complaining.   Clara wore a dark blue, polka-dot dress she found hanging in the Doctor's wardrobe.   He said that the TARDIS always knew what was needed, plus the ship liked her.   He too seemed quite fond of how much leg the dress showed off.

                The Doctor hit one last button with a melodramatic flourish before turning to Clara.   "I suggest you open the doors."

                Clara ran to them wondering where in the universe they could be.   The sight that greeted her took her breath away.   It was a sea of stars.   Gaseous clouds of green, gold, and red floated among the glittering black of space.   Twisting together they formed pillars and mountains out of dust.    It was more than a human mind could comprehend. 

                The Doctor wrapped his arms around Clara's waist.   Her body molded to his perfectly.   Silently they glazed out over the abyss.   

                "It's called the Μανία Nebula." he told her.  "Someday all of this will become a new galaxy, with new planets and new stars.   And it all comes from this cloud of dust."

                "It's beautiful." Clara whispered.  

                "Yes it is." the Doctor said kissing her bare shoulder. 

                "See that there."   He pointed to a ball of red light in a dense section of the cloud.  "One day that will be the sun of the   ͗Απάτη System.   That's where we are going." 

                "What's there?"

                "A little planet I think you'll find interesting."

                Clara could hardly contain her excitement.   She was going to a different planet!  She was going to meet and talk to people from another world.   That made her think of something.

                "Are you going to have to translate everything for me?  I assume they won't be speaking English or any other language I know." 

                "The TARDIS takes care of that.   She'll translate everything you hear or read." the Doctor said. 

                "Incredible.   Is there anything she can't do?" Clara asked.  

                The engines hummed obviously pleased with the compliment. 

                "I'm pleading the 5th on that one." said the Doctor. "I don't want to get electrocuted."

                Clara laughed.   The Doctor pulled her back to the console and started typing in coordinates.   She clung onto him as the TARDIS rocked like a ship in a storm.   With an echoing thud the TARDIS landed and stopped shaking. 

                The Doctor took her hand and led Clara outside.   The first thing that registered was the heat.   It was like a blast from a furnace.   Dry air, filled with the scents of a thousand new things, ruffled the fabric of Clara's dress.   She shaded her eyes trying to see past the brilliant sunlight.   They were in a city build out of cut sandstone.   It reminded her of renderings she'd seen in archeology books of the Near East.   Uruk and Babylon must have looked just like this, Clara thought.   There was even a monumental ziggurat rising in the distance. 

                "It looks like Earth." Clara said in amazement.

                "Most planets and civilizations are far more alike than people often care to admit." the Doctor said. 

                "What planet is this?"

                "Vesania and this is the great city of Amentiae." he said.  "There is a bazaar in the main square here which people all over the planet flock to.   I bet we can find something good for breakfast there." 

                They wandered through the compacted dirt streets.   Clara tried to see everything at once.   The people were similar to humans.  Though they were slightly taller and their faces were patterned with little black dots over nut brown skin.   Each house she passed was made unique by some decoration of the owners, whether with flowers or ropes of colored stones hung over the doorways. 

                 The closer they got to the market the thicker the crowd grew.   Clara had never seen so many people, she held onto the Doctor's hand tight lest they get separated.    The bazaar was a city on its own.   Merchant stalls selling everything imaginable stretched as far as the eye could see.   The Doctor kept pointing out little things and explaining what they were.   

                Finally they reached the food sellers and Clara suddenly realized how hungry she was.   They had skipped over dinner the night before.    She didn’t know what any of it was, but everything smelled amazing.  

                "None of this is going to poison me is it?" Clara asked looking at a strange purple meat roasting on a stick.

                "Don't worry." the Doctor said.  "You'll be fine."   He bought them each a plate with a couple of little gold coins.  

                Clara curiously took a bite.  "This meat tastes like cabbage!  How bizarre."

                The Doctor laughed.    He was obviously having fun watching her reactions to things.   It must be strange, Clara thought, to show the universe to someone as isolated as her.   Until now she'd never been farther than Kent, while he had been everywhere.  

                They meandered up and down the aisles inspecting the wares for sell.   There were things Clara understood, such as colored soaps and perfumes, and things she couldn't fathom the use for.   Little mechanical instruments that hummed or a table full of what appeared to be unbreakable bubbles.             Clara was so distracted that she didn’t realize the Doctor had disappeared until she turned around.   She spun in circles searching for him in the crowd.    All she saw were unfamiliar faces.   He couldn't have been gone more than a few minutes.   What if he got lost, then what should she do?

                Clara was just starting to worry when the Doctor appeared at her side.   "I thought I was going to have to send a search party after you." she joked in relief.

                "Sorry." he said.  He looked a little embarrassed.  "I just wanted to… ummm….  Here."  The Doctor handed her a small box.

                She opened it carefully.   Nestled inside was a necklace crafted in round, citrus colored stones and gold metal.   It was simple, elegant, and absolutely perfect.    Clara lifted it out and let the Doctor clasped around her throat.   She smiled shyly, unused to receiving gifts.

                "Thank you." Clara whispered kissing him softly. 

                He smiled looking awkward.  "I just wanted to get you something.   It's traditional in Time Lord culture as well as Human relationships.  It reminded me of you and, well, I'm not very good at this sort of thing."  The Doctor straightened his bow tie flustered. 

                "I think you're doing fine." she teased.

                A loud commotion broke up their moment.   Clara and the Doctor ran over to see what was going on.   A man was yelling and brandishing a knife at one of the stall owners.   Everyone was staring in shock.

                "Cheat!" the man screamed.  "Scammer!  The ingredients you sold me were no good!"

                The plump shop owner looked just as bewildered as everyone else.   "Mal, what are you talking about?  You've bought my supplies for years."

                Snarling in rage the man attempted to jump the stall, slashing the knife at the other man's face.   He didn’t make it.  Many of the onlookers surged forward grabbing the man and dragging him to the ground.   They held him there as the local police force shoved their way through the packed crowd.   The enraged man was quickly detained and drug off. 

                "That's the third one this week." said a bystander to her friend, "I told you something was going on."

                The Doctor stepped forward, "What do you mean?" he asked the woman.

                She looked surprised, "You haven't heard?"

                Clara and the Doctor both shook their heads.

                The woman glanced around nervously then continued in a hushed voice, "People are going mad."

 


	2. Pretty Wicked Things

**~Pretty Wicked Things~**

                People were going mad?  Clara glanced back at the stunned stall owner.   He was trying to put his spice baskets back in order.   Several people had stopped to help him pick up the wares his attacker had knocked down.  

                "I take it that man is not normally homicidal then?" Clara asked the woman. 

                "Goddess no!  Mal owns the bakers stall an aisle over.   He works with his wife and two sons.  You couldn't find a more pleasant man.   He even gives out biscuits to the street children."

                "Then what do you think caused him to change?" the Doctor inquired.  

                He stared at the woman intently, his brow furrowed.   She seemed taken aback by his intense curiosity.   It hadn't taken Clara long to realize he had that effect on most people.  The Doctor looked at you like whatever you said was the most important thing in the universe.   And people just felt compelled to tell him anything he wanted to know.   He was like a hypnotist.

                "It's been happening for a few weeks now." The woman said, "People just change.  They become angry, paranoid.   I heard one lady beat her husband to death with a garden shovel, because she thought he was sleeping with the girl next door."

                "Just before this started did anything significant happen in Amentiae?"

                "We signed the peace treaty?" said the woman's friend.  It sounded like a question.  She was obviously unsure why the Doctor wanted to know.   "Three weeks ago the King signed a peace treaty with the King of Calumina.  He even presented the King Gurun with the Nyu Ruby as a sign of good faith."

                "Thank you, you've been a great help!"  the Doctor called over his shoulder as he took off running down the street dragging Clara along behind him.    

                Clara couldn’t say she felt the same.   "Where are we going?" she cried.

                The Doctor grinned, "To see a man about a ruby." 

                Clara and the Doctor raced through the streets towards the great ziggurat at the end of the city.  The closer they got the more Clara could make out of the carvings on the monumental steps.  They seemed to depict the events in the life of one particular goddess.

                At the base of the temple was a sprawling mansion.  The roof held aloft by sensually curved columns.   Between some hung sheer curtains which billowed in the warm breeze.   The whole building appeared to float on a pond of flowering lily-pads.   It was magical in its simple beauty. 

                The only detraction were the armed guards standing around the entrances.   They each carried ceremonial looking spears with curved blades and large guns.    Clara thought they all looked very menacing.   

                The Doctor marched up to the main doorway with confidence.    She put on what Russell called her 'Do you work or else face'.    Clara couldn’t believe that he was just planning to walk into the palace.   Surely the guards would stop them.   

                Almost as if they were responding to her thoughts, two of the men stepped in front of them blocking their path with spears.   Clara glanced nervously at the Doctor.  

                "State your business." Grunted the taller of the two men.

                The Doctor whipped out a leather folder from his jacket pocket and waved it at the man.  "I think this should explain things."

                Both guards jumped to attention turning red.  "I'm sorry your Highness!  Princess.  We were not informed that you would be visiting." 

                "It’s a bit of a covert matter." The Doctor said tapping the side of his nose.   His eye's twinkled mischievously.

                "Right sir." Nodded the shorter guard.  

                The men bowed formally, letting Clara and the Doctor passed.   She waited until they were out of ear shot before snatching the leather folder out of his hands.    Inside was an official looking document that stated that the Doctor was the Prince of some country she'd never heard of. 

                "Psychic paper," the Doctor explained, "It shows people what they want to see or what you want them to see.  Never need tickets to get into the theater."

                "It says I'm your wife."

                "Does it?" he said in strained voice.  He pinched the psychic paper back refusing to look at her.   Clara smiled to herself and didn’t say anything.    She could see the Doctor's ears turning red. 

                Inside was a labyrinth.  Corridors twisted and turned endlessly.  And to add to the optical confusion there were little windows every few paces looking into other corridors.   They were cut in geometric designs like artwork. 

                "Doctor what are we doing here?" Clara finally asked in exasperation.

                He stopped in surprise.  "I forget." The Doctor muttered, "It's been so long since I've been around another person for any length of time.  So long since I've had to explain things to anyone else."

                Clara placed her hand on his arm, a gentle reminder he wasn’t alone anymore.  He wasn’t going to get over 23 years in isolation overnight, she knew that.

                "So why are we here?" Clara repeated softly.

                "Crystals  
are great transmitters." The Doctor said.  "A giant ruby shows up in town and then perfectly normal people start murdering each other.   Something to investigate, if you ask me."

                "Well I hope you know where you're going, because I certainly don't."

                He glanced around the endless maze of opulent hallways.  "I'm sure we'll find it eventually."

                "It's always going to be like this with you isn't it?"

                The Doctor made a face, "Not _always_."

                Clara giggled.

                After several minutes walking they came across a courtyard.  It had more vegetation than Clara had seen anywhere on the planet.  An oasis in the desert.  A man of indeterminate age sat on a bench next to a small fountain.  He wore purple robes embroidered with gold.  The patterns mimicked those on the ziggurat.

                "Hello." Clara said quietly, not wanting to startle the man.

                He looked up from the water.   "Oh hello, my dear.  Who are you?"

                "Royal Ambassadors from Doric." Said the Doctor, "My father sent us in a show of support over the signing of the peace treaty."

                The King, for Clara realized that's who this must be, chuckled.  "It's nice to have support from the human colonies, yet I wonder what you did to anger your father enough to get this delegation."

                The Doctor shrugged, "Last to inherit means first to get shipped off to attend meetings."

                It was impressive.  If she didn’t know better Clara would swear he was telling the truth.

                The King let out a booming laugh, startling a pair of birds in a nearby tree.   Clara instantly decided she liked the man.  He was very jovial for a monarch.

                "Where are my manners?  Please sit down my friends."  He gestured to the bench beside his.

                They sat down and the King pressed a button on his bracelet.  Clara felt the Doctor tense up, but he relaxed a moment later when a servant came running into the courtyard.

                "You rang Sire?"

                "If you could fetch some refreshments for myself and our esteemed guests here.  Raspberry cordial." He smiled at Clara.  "I know it is a favorite of the human colonists."

                Raspberry cordial?  Clara wondered if they were actually raspberries or they just called them that.

                "Now what are your names?" asked King Gurun.  "I'm afraid I can never keep track of everyone's heirs."

                "Prince John of Doric, but John is fine.   And this is my… wife Princess Clara."

                "It's nice to meet you Sire." She said, training kicking in.

                "The pleasure is all mine, my dear."

                The servant returned with a tray carrying a decanter of green "raspberry" cordial and some kind of tea cake.  The drink was quite good even though it tasted nothing like raspberry.  Clara and the Doctor chatted with Gurun for awhile.  He told them all about the latest events in his city, including the festival which would take place tomorrow.   It was all in honor of the treaty that would end the 30 year tensions between the two cities.   The King of Calumina himself was going to be in attendance. 

                From the way he spoke Clara got the impression that Gurun had been quite bored until they arrived.  Now he was happy to have someone to talk with.

                "Oh I simply must show you the Nyu Ruby." The King said.  He winked at the Doctor.  "After all I'm sure that’s why you were really sent here, to confirm I have it."

                The Doctor shrugged in a 'what can you do' sort of way.

                Gurun offered Clara his arm, "And I know how beautiful women love beautiful jewels.  Of course I doubt you could wear this one."

                He led them to a room surrounded by guards.  In the center on a pedestal rested an enormous blood-red ruby.  It sparkled, scattering light around the room.  Clara gasped.  Nothing in the Tower of London compared to this.

                "It was given to the people of Amentiae by the Great Goddess Nyu as a symbol of her love and protection." Gurun said reverently.  "It used to reside in her temple but 30 years ago it was taken as a spoil of war by the Caluminians.  We won back our independence but not the Ruby, not until now." 

                The Doctor inspected the jewel closely.  He grinned suddenly.  "Exquisite craftsmanship."

                Clara suspected he'd discovered some clue, but for the life of her she couldn’t see what.    There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the crystal.  In fact it was completely flawless.   Of course!  No stone was _flawless_ , that was the problem.    The Doctor gave her a small nod seeing she'd worked it out. 

                "Now my friends, you must join me for dinner!  I'll have a man show you to the guest quarters, so that you may freshen up before hand.  I know how tiring traveling can be."  The King suddenly noticed something.  "Don't you have luggage?"

                "Highwaymen." The Doctor said simply.

                "Why didn't you say something?  Those thugs get more brazen with each new season.   We keep them out of the city yet there is no one to police the roadways." He sighed.  "I'll have some clothes sent up for you as well."

                Another servant led the Doctor and Clara to their room.   She tried to remember the route they took but soon lost count of the turns.   Hopefully the Doctor remembered or they might just be lost forever.    

                Clothing was already laid out for them including a dinner dress for Clara.   It wasn't like any kind of dress she'd seen before.   Loose, colorful silk which wrapped around the waist and hung off the shoulders.    The Doctor seemed more interested in helping her out of it, than helping her into it.   He pulled her into an embrace and started kissing down her neck. 

                "We're going to be late you know." Clara sighed closing her eyes. 

                "Don't care."  He sealed her mouth with his.  

                Regretfully she pulled back.  "People going mad, undercover investigations, remember?"

                "Fine, fine." The Doctor said in mock exasperation. 

                Thankfully there was a maid waiting in the hall to direct them to the dining room.    Again Clara lost count of the turns, who designed this place? 

                 They were dinning with the King and his teenage son Hector.   It was an informal affair with only four of them.   Glowing orbs floated above the table giving off orange light reflecting on the polished tableware.  

                They all chatted amiably except Hector who seemed depressed.  Clara quickly realized why he looked sullen.   She watched him repeatedly exchanging significant glances with the serving boy.   They thought they were being subtle.   Sadly, class had a tendency of getting in the way of love.  She'd seen it before.  

                They had been talking for awhile when the Doctor said in an offhand voice, "I heard there was a disturbance in the market today."

                Gurun went pale.


	3. Mad World

**~Mad World~**

                "What do you mean?" the King sputtered.  

                "I think you know." The Doctor said watching his reaction. 

                So much for undercover investigations.   Clara glared at the Doctor, though it was obvious he'd struck a nerve.   Gurun knew something. 

                "When did you first realize that the ruby was a fake?"

                Hector gasped, "Father what is he talking about?"

                "Nothing." Gurun snapped. "Please leave us."

                "No way!  The ruby is a fake?"  He looked from the Doctor to Clara.

                "Son!"

                "Forget it I'm not leaving." Hector said, "You knew it wasn't the Nyu?"

                "It is the Nyu Ruby." The King hissed.   "I can prove it."   

                He jumped up, knocking his chair back with a crash.   Clara thought she saw something flicker behinds his eyes, like a shadow.   She blinked and it was gone.    He marched out of the dining hall with the rest of them following behind.    

                They went through a series of corridors including one hidden behind a tapestry.   The Doctor remained silent.   He merely watched the King with a quizzical expression.   Clara hung back with Hector.   She could tell something was wrong.  The phrase 'someone just walked over your grave' came to mind, it was a feeling that sent shivers down her spine.   From the expression on the boy's face Clara could tell he felt it too.    Instinctively they moved closer together.

                Eventually they came to a stone door at the end of a hallway.   Gurun pressed another button on his bracelet causing the door to slide open.   Inside was a roughly hewn staircase leading up into darkness.  

                "We're going into the temple." Hector whispered to Clara, "No one gets to do that except the King.  Not even me."

                The Doctor grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Hector.   It wasn't hard, but enough to make her stumble.   Clara turned to him in shock.   The Doctor immediately let go of her.

                "Sorry.  I thought…" He shook his head as if trying to clear it.  "I thought… never mind.  Sorry." He repeated.

                The Doctor looked confused and a bit frightened.   Clara felt the shiver run down her spine again.   Something was wrong, something was very, _very_ wrong.   Whatever this thing was, it was affecting the Doctor too.   Maybe it was affecting her as well.   How would she know?

                "The first recordings of the Nyu Ruby are in here." Gurun said.   He sounded calmer now, more normal.   "A painting done the day Nyu gave us the Ruby, a painting of Nyu herself."

                Clara heard Hector gasp in awe.   The paintings must be kept from the public, much like sacred objects at the Vatican.   Getting to see them would be a lot to take in for a believer.

                "I have only been here a few times in my life.  These things were not meant for mortal eyes."  Gurun said, "But I remember the painting of the Ruby and I know it is the same."

                At the top of the stairs he pulled a key from underneath his embroidered robes.   It was large and tarnished with three prongs which the King inserted into the wall.   He turned it three times and the wall pulled back revealing a hidden door.  They found themselves in a stone chamber.    It was filled with religious objects and artwork incrusted with gold and jewels.   That wasn't what made the entire party freeze in their tracks though. 

                Centered on the far wall was a magnificent painting.   Larger than life and in perfect detail it depicted the raven haired goddess presenting the Nyu Ruby to the people of Amentiae.   Her pale skin in stark contrast to the citizens.   Her silk gown flowed in the breeze, as she held out the giant crystal. 

                It was Clara.

                Her mind couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.   It was her, the painting was of her.   The King and Hector turned to Clara, expressions of complete shock on their faces.  

                "Nyu?"

                Before she could even being to think of a response, the Doctor grabbed her waist and pushed her behind him.     Big mistake.  Gurun's face became a mask of hate.

                "Run!" the Doctor cried.

                Clara didn't need telling twice.  She dashed back down the stairs, stumbling on her dress.  The Doctor caught her before she fell.  Clara shrieked as he threw her over his shoulder without missing a step.   She would have protested the indignity of it all if they weren't being chased.   Clara was amazed by the Doctor's inhuman strength.

                With one hand he withdrew the sonic screwdriver aiming it at the door at the bottom of the stairs.  The King was shouting, footfalls echoing off the stone.    The Doctor set Clara down trying to force the door closed again.  It wasn't working.

                "Stop! Release her!"

                The Doctor abandoned the door taking off down the hallway with Clara.  She could feel her heart pounding in her throat.  None of this was making any sense.  How could she be Nyu?

                They turned the corner and they were back in the Ruby's chamber.  The guards drew their weapons in alarm.  The Doctor skidded to a halt staring down the barrel of a gun.

                "You know I've never been a big fan of guns myself." He said, "Why don’t we just have a nice chat instead?  Tea maybe?  Scones?  …No?"

                They didn’t take their fingers off the triggers.

                The Doctor's expression hardened.  "I really would advice against that."

                "Please, we're only trying to help." Clara said desperately, she could hear their pursuers.

                "Seize him!" the King cried, running toward them.

                The Doctor tried to struggle, but it was four on one.  The guards quickly cuffed him and shoved him to his knees.  When Clara moved to help one of the men turned his gun on her.

                "No, don't harm her!" Gurun yelled.

                "She is Nyu."   Hector jumped in-between Clara and the gun.   The men's eyes went wide.  Clearly torn between kneeling and keeping hold of the Doctor, they bowed their heads.

                "I'm not Nyu!"  They were mad.  They were all mad, all of them.  Clara backed away, deeper into the room, raising her hands defensively. 

                "What have you done to her?" the King screamed at the Doctor.  Clara realized with horror that his eyes were turning black.  As if the pupils were bleeding out into the irises.  He kicked the Doctor in the solar-plexus, causing him to double over in pain.  "What have you done?"

                Gurun took a step towards Clara.

                "Don't come near me!" she screamed.  "Don't any of you touch me!"  She was angry, and scared, and it felt like something was pressing on her brain.

                "Goddess, this sorcerer has done something to you.  He has bound you to him, is controlling you somehow."

                "Are you kidding?" the Doctor gave a sick laugh.  His blue eyes were jet black.  "Control her?  All she's done all night is flirt with the Prince here.  Though what can you expect from a woman so willing to run away with a stranger."   He glared at Hector with pure loathing.

                "How dare you." Clara said her voice deadly calm. 

                "Don't speak about her that way." Hector hissed.

                "He wants the Ruby." Gurun pleaded with Clara, "Now that he has you, he wants the Ruby as well."

                The Ruby.   In a moment of clarity Clara grabbed it off the pedestal.   This was the problem; it was the only part of the insane situation Clara could focus on.   The Ruby was causing all of this.

                "Goddess what are you doing?" 

                Clara smiled, "I have no idea." 

                 She raised the stone above her head and threw it to the floor with all the force she could muster.  

                Clara expected the false gem to shatter.  Instead it hit it the ground releasing a clear high note.   Everyone in the room stopped and stared at the Ruby.   An invisible seam opened and it spit neatly in two.  The halves fell away leaving a floating ball of red smoke.  

                The smoke grew in size floating upward.  Fierce wind forced everyone back against the walls.    A pair of midnight eyes appeared in the cloud staring directly at Clara.   She forgot to breath, it was as if the eyes were looking straight through her.   And then she understood, the Ruby wasn't a transmitter, it was a prison. 

                Without warning the creature blasted passed the Doctor and the guards and disappeared down the corridor.   No one moved for a moment.  Clara felt the pressure leave her mind.   She gasped finally able to see through the fog.     

                Her eyes met the Doctor's across the room.   He quickly looked down too ashamed to face her.   The anger of his words still burned, but Clara knew it hadn't been the man she loved talking.   On shaky legs Clara walked over and knelt down beside him.  

                The Doctor finally looked up.   "I didn't mean…"  He bit his lip, worried.  Clearly waiting for Clara's rebuke.  

                "I know." She whispered, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.   Clara heard his surprised intake of breath before carefully returning the embrace.   In doing so the Doctor revealed that he'd managed to escape the handcuffs during the ordeal.   That didn't go over well with the guards.

                "Will someone please tell me what just happened?" the King asked.  

                "That thing was possessing people." Said Clara.   She glanced questioningly at the Doctor.   He nodded. 

                "A Vapor." The Doctor said, "They stimulate your emotions with their own.   They can't help it, it's their nature."

                "And because it was trapped it was scared and angry." Clara surmised. 

                "Exactly.  Though I doubt it was in there by accident."

                "The Caluminians." Gurun said darkly.  "Some sign of good faith.  They were probably hoping we'd kill each other off so they wouldn’t have to."

                "Was this a test, Nyu?" Hector asked Clara. 

                "No.  I wouldn't do that." She replied.  It didn't seem worth the effort to keep trying to convince them she wasn't the goddess.  

                The boy looked from Clara to the Doctor.  "So, is he your consort?"

                Clara broke out in a fit of hysterical giggles.   The Doctor's expression at that comment, on top everything else, was too much.  

                The Doctor in an obvious attempt to change topics said to the King, "At least you still have the Ruby."

                The man grimaced, "You mean the broken, fake ruby?"

                "That's the one." He grinned.   The Doctor picked up the two pieces of the red gem and pressed them back together.   Waving the sonic over it they sealed shut.   It was impossible to tell it had ever been broken.   He handed the ruby back to Gurun.  "Good as new."

                The King frowned staring into the crystal.  "That still doesn't change the fact it’s a fake.   I knew the moment I saw it, but it was like I couldn’t admit it even to myself."

                "Anxiety, paranoia, distrust, that was all the Vapor." The Doctor said kindly, "And just because it's not really the Nyu Ruby doesn't make the hope it brings your people any less valuable."  

                "What would you have me do, goddess?" he asked Clara. 

                She considered a moment before answering.  Might as well use the goddess issue to everyone's advantage.  "It is the Nyu Ruby now.  She…I gave it once; I am simply giving it again.  The Caluminians can have no power over you if you believe in it, they have no leverage.   You can continue to live in peace."   

                "Thank you, Nyu.  It is a second miracle. We shall do as you say."

                The Doctor shot her a proud smile, before clapping his hands together.  "Now that that's all sorted, I think we best be on our way." 

                Hector and Gurun nodded as if they'd been expecting them to vanish into thin air at any moment.   Perhaps they were. 

                The King led them out of the labyrinth of a palace with repeated thanks.   Clara felt ridiculously embarrassed as every person she passed bowed.   Finally they reached the outside and the warm, evening air.   Amentiae glowed in the light of the setting sun.  

                They said their final goodbyes before disappearing into the twilight.  Walking hand and hand back to the TARDIS.  

                "I still don't understand how I can be Nyu." Clara said, as they stepped into the control room.

                "It seems we still have one quick stop to make or two actually."

                She waited for him to explain.

                "We grab the real Ruby from the Caluminian King then pop back a few thousand years and you hand it to the King of Amentiae.  Ta-da, Nyu is born." The Doctor said, waving his arms around.

                "Right." Clara muttered.  "This time-travel stuff is really convoluted sometimes, isn't it?"

                "At least you'll never be bored!" he quipped, typing coordinates into the console.  

                Clara rolled her eyes as the Doctor dashed to the front doors.   He stepped outside and Clara heard angry shouting and a large crash.  The Doctor ran back in slamming the door behind him.   She laughed in disbelief when she realized he was holding the real Ruby. 

                "I'm sure they won't mind.  We've got to prevent a paradox and all that." He grinned.

                "Of course not."

                After that is was quick work to jump back two thousand years and hand off the stone to the King of Amentiae.   They left the TARDIS cloaked so it appeared as if Clara simply materialized with the great Ruby from nowhere.  She carefully explained that the Ruby was special and that they should keep it safe.   And with that Clara found herself the legendary Nyu, whether she wanted to be or not.

                Later the Doctor and Clara curled up on the sofa with cups of tea.   He stroked her hair absently while she read out loud from _Harry Potter_.   Abruptly she set the book down and looked up at him.

                "You know I'm not going to leave you, right?"

                The Doctor winced, "What I said, I didn't mean any of it."

                "I know." Clara gently placed her hand on his cheek, "But if even the smallest part of you fears it, I want you to know there is no reason."

                He smiled at her sadly, "You're human.  Leaving is an inevitability."


	4. Melodies and Desire

**~Melodies and Desire~**

 

                The electric oven was giving Clara problems.   There were so many buttons she didn't understand.   The TARDIS was helping, the lights would flicker every time she hit the wrong one, but Clara wanted to actually be able to work the blasted thing.  Eventually she managed to get her soufflé into the oven at the correct temperature and with the timer properly set.   It felt liked she'd defeated an insurmountable enemy. 

                Clara loved baking, soufflés in particular, she always found it calming.   Since the Doctor was off "fixing things" which looked more like needlessly breaking things, Clara decided to test out the kitchen.   At first she was lost not knowing where anything was or what most of the futuristic appliances were. Once the ship realized what Clara was doing little air currents pointed her in the right directions.  

                Clara nearly dropped the mixing bowl she'd just pulled out of the cabinet when music started playing.   She couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but a little screen flickered to life on the wall displaying the song title, band, and year it was produced.    Clara got the impression the TARDIS was showing off.   It soon turned into a game between them of figuring out what kind of music Clara liked.  Mozart, The Beatles, Florence and the Machine, and Lana del Ray quickly made the approved list.   It was amazing how much freer music was in the future.

                She cleaned up the kitchen swaying in time with the melody.   Lost in her own little world Clara didn't realize she was being watched.  

                "Smells good." The Doctor said making her jump.   He hopped up to sit on the edge of the counter.   His face was covered in soot marks and his hair stuck up at an odd angle.  

                "What happened to you?"

                "I figured out that the red-flashy light means 'don't touch that'."

                Clara started dabbing the soot off with a damp cloth.  "One day you're going to get yourself electrocuted."

                "Too late."  

                He drew her in for a kiss and stole the cloth from her hands.  Clara tried to grab it back, but the Doctor held it above her head laughing.   It was completely unfair.  He was already a foot taller than her and sitting on the counter made it impossible.   Clara put her hands on her hips and gave him a very stern look.

                "Give it.  Or you're not getting any."  She nodded towards the oven. 

                He stopped laughing, but still didn't drop the cloth.  "What is it?"

                "A chocolate soufflé."

                The Doctor immediately handed Clara the rag, a funny look on his face.  "A soufflé?"

                "Yeah." She couldn't see what the big deal was, "I like making them."

                He stared into the distance for a moment lost in thought, before locking eyes with Clara.  "What did you say your middle name was?"

                "Oswin."

                "Clara _Oswin Oswald_." He muttered mostly to himself. 

                Clara was starting to get a little worried, when the Doctor suddenly laughed.   An amazed smile lit up his features. 

                "Incredible."

                "What is?" Clara asked lost.

                He jumped down and wrapped his arms around her waist.  "You are."

                She relaxed into him.   "Ok...  I still don't know what you're talking about." Clara said.

                The Doctor kissed her forehead, "That's fine, neither do I most of the time."

                The music in the room abruptly switched to a love ballade.

                "Oi! Stop it!" the Doctor yelled at the ceiling.

                The TARDIS engines made a noise which sounded distinctly like laughter. 

                "No you're not funny." He snapped, while Clara snickered.

                The timer on the oven beeped and Clara extracted herself from the Doctor.   Pulling on oven mitts she carefully lifted out the pastry and set it on the cooling rack.   It was perfect.  Or at least as perfect as one could hope for when using equipment so advanced it seemed like magic.   The soufflé was a bit lopsided and one of the edges was blacker than it should be, but otherwise. 

                "Looks edible." The Doctor teased, giving it a critical eye. 

                "You're going to end up wearing it."

                The Doctor held up his hands in a placating gesture.   She rolled her eyes and went back to cleaning.  It was funny how easily she slipped into life with the Doctor.   Less than a week had passed since The Ripper died and here Clara was being domestic.   As a governess it was never really on the menu.   She was destined to be a spinster raising other people's children the rest of her life.   Clara was fine with that, after her mother died it seemed the logical option.   She could support herself and even send some of her wages back home to her father.  Then a ridiculous alien wandered into her world and turned everything sideways.

                Clara watched the Doctor trying to figure out how to eat the dessert without waiting for it to cool.   He still had soot on his cheeks and his brown hair flopped into his eyes.   She knew she'd make the decision to be with him given the choice a thousand times.   The way her heart stuttered whenever he touched her confirmed that.

                "Where are we going today?" Clara asked in an effort to distract him before he burned himself.  

                The Doctor's eyes lit up at the thought of adventure.   "We could set the TARDIS to random and see what happens."

                "You can do that?"

                "Yep! Donna and I did that once and ended up freeing the entire Ood race from slavery."

                "Who was enslaving them?" Clara asked. 

                The Doctor made a face, "The Third Great and Bountiful Human Empire."

                "Humans?"  she gasped, and here she thought the Earth was getting past such monstrous practices.   

                The Doctor took her hand seeing he'd upset Clara.  "Don't worry Love, we got it sorted."

                Clara looked down at their entwined fingers.   She felt hollow.  "Why do you stand us?  If all we ever do and continue to do is act like savages?" 

                He tilted her chin up to meet his blue eyes.   "Your kind is also capable of great beauty.  You imagine, you create, and you push beyond the limits of your species.   Not many can say the same.   And no species is perfect, just look at my people.  Willing destroy the whole of reality to save themselves."

                The Doctor pulled her to him and Clara rested her head against his chest.  They held each other in silence for a minute. 

                "I love you." She whispered. 

                "Which obviously means you need your sanity checked." He chuckled.  And just like that the melancholy was gone.   The Doctor kissed the tip of her nose.  "So mysterious locations await."

                "Don't forget my soufflé.  I didn't battle that oven for nothing." Clara said.

                "First dessert then escapades." He agreed.

***

                Clara clung onto the metal railing as the TARDIS shook violently.  

                "Are you sure it's supposed to do that?" she cried over the engines.

                "Of course!" the Doctor yelled back from where he was hanging onto the console.   Clara didn't believe him. 

                With the echoing whine Clara was starting to get accustomed to the TARDIS landed.   She slowly relinquished her death grip and stood up.   She straightened out her blouse and tried to fix her hair.   Not that it really mattered, Clara thought, the Doctor had already seen the way her hair stuck up everywhere in the mornings. 

                "So where are we?"

                "Won't know tell we open the doors." He said.

                Clara held her breath while the Doctor pushed open the front doors dramatically.   She was worried they'd landed on the Sun or at the bottom of the ocean.   Instead what she saw was a rather innocuous storage room.   Shelves and shelves on cleaning supplies filled the space.  The TARDIS had landed in the only free section of floor jammed right in-between two racks.

                "Slightly less impressive than I was hoping for." The Doctor muttered.   "Still can't go wrong with a good epoxy, always comes in handy."  He picked up what looked like a pack of chewing gum and slipped it into one of his bottomless pockets.

                Clara found the door leading out of the room.   She peeked around the corner.   Outside was a lobby like those found in upscale hotels.   Floral patterned carpeting, plush chairs, and a grand chandelier.   There was a check-in desk, a concierges, and even bell-hops running luggage back and forth.   Except this was no normal building.   The walls were metal and inset with rivets, piping and wiring hung exposed crisscrossing the ceiling.   

                "It's a ship isn't it?" Clara wondered. 

                "A cruise liner by the looks of things.  Circa," He bent down to inspect the wiring, "28th century."

                "Wow, this is what the future looks like."  

                "Sort of.  It's not usually so…glitzy." The Doctor said gesturing toward the chandelier. 

                "What exactly is a cruise liner?" Clara asked while watching a group of guests sipping cocktails.   They were human, as far as she could tell.  The clothes weren't anything Clara recognized, but just from their mannerisms she knew they were dressed to the height of fashion.   In fact everyone was.  It was how she'd always imagined a coming-out ball to look.  She of course had never had one or been to one herself. 

                "Basically they're ships that are also hotels.   They were invented just a few years after your time then later humans adapted them for space travel.   Shall we see what this one's got to offer?"  The Doctor presented Clara his arm, trying to look dignified.   

                With a perfect curtsy she threaded her arm threw his.  "Let's."

                They ended up following a crowd who all seemed to be headed in the same direction.   Clara got a few disapproving glances at her informal clothing, but most people seemed friendly enough.   The Doctor was oblivious, then again he was probably used to looking like an outsider.   From what she caught from the conversations they were all headed to a dance of some kind. 

                Clara turned to the Doctor with a hopeful smile.

                "You want to go?" he asked and Clara nodded.  The Doctor grinned, "I've got to warn you, as much as I enjoy dancing I've been told I'm terrible at it." 

                "Don't worry I'll teach you." She said flirtatiously. 

                Together they stepped through an archway of white metal sculpted in the shape of flowering vines.   The ballroom was similar to those from Clara's own time period, a polished wood floor and a raised stage for the orchestra.   A series of arched windows displayed the star filled blackness of the void outside the ship.  It put any decoration or design to shame. 

                The Doctor wasn't kidding, he was horribly uncoordinated.  It was as if his limbs were beyond his control.   He spun Clara until she was dizzy and breathless with laughter.  She lost her balance and fell against his chest.  They probably looked like complete fools, but Clara didn't care.  She'd never had so much fun in her life.   No one was allowed to act like this in her world where everything was stiff and proper.  You weren't allowed to show affection or laugh loudly, or simply be yourself. 

                Clara encircled her arms around the Doctor's neck as the tempo of the music slowed.   She stood on tip-toes as their lips met.  

                "You're beautiful, you know that." He whispered.

                Clara blushed.  His skin so much colder to the touch than a human's nevertheless burned where it made contact with her own.   The Doctor's hands rested lightly on her waist as they swayed with the melody.  

                To Clara's bemusement the Doctor insisted she teach him the quadrille. 

                "That's so old-fashioned."

                "We live in a time machine, old-fashioned doesn't apply." He stated.

                Once she started teaching him the steps several other couples came over interested.  Before Clara knew it she was teaching most of the ballroom the dance.   They were fascinated by the intricate and formal steps.   The orchestra switched to keep time with them.   Soon nearly a hundred dancers were weaving in and out laughing and stumbling over each other as they followed Clara's directions.

                Something out the window caught Clara's attention.  She squinted trying to make it out.  A translucent blue cloud was surging like a wave through the ether.   It was headed straight for them!  Clara didn't even have time to shout before the blue wave crashed into the ship.  

                The whole vessel rolled.  Clara's hand was ripped from the Doctor's.  She fell screaming as the ground disappeared from beneath her.

 


	5. Multiplicity

**~Multiplicity~**

 

                Clara dug her nails into the wood of the floor desperate to stop her fall.  The room tilted on its side plummeting tables, chairs, and people toward the wall of windows.   Her body slammed into the glass with a sickening thud shattering the bone in her wrist on impact.   Clara lay against the ice cold surface unable to move.    Every inch of her body was in agony.

                A klaxon sounded and yellow lights went off blaring into Clara's dazed brain.   Her vision was unfocused and she couldn't comprehend what was happening.   Voices were crying and shouting, blurring with the cacophony of the siren.   A dark shape appeared above her.

                "Can you hear me?  Miss?"

                Clara concentrated on the voice pulling herself back to reality.   "Yes." She managed.   Talking hurt, it felt like her lungs were on fire.  She felt fingers on her head checking for injures. 

                "I need you to try to sit up, ok?" the voice said.

                Clara nodded, or at least she thought she did.   She started to lever herself up, but the moment she put weight on her right hand Clara cried out.  Intense pain shot up her arm, effectively clearing her mental daze.   

                "Where's the Doctor?" she asked.

                "Who?"  The elderly gentleman checked her over with concern, "I'm a doctor, dear."

                "No, _The_ Doctor." Clara said absently.   Her eyes scanned the disastrous aftermath.   Everywhere people were staggering to their feet battered and bruised.   The orchestra was the worst.   The heavy instruments had crushed several of the musicians beneath them.  The piano had exploded on impact sending wood shards and keys everywhere.   A group started digging people out from under the rubble.  Thankfully everyone appeared to be alive. 

                Only she didn't see the Doctor anywhere.  Starting to panic Clara finally spotted a brown boot sticking out from under a table.  Scrambling to her feet Clara ran over to him, dodging debris.   The man helped her lift the table off the Doctor.   He groaned when Clara touched his cheek.

                "Oww…. No more cruise liners." He muttered without opening his eyes.  "Bad things always happen on cruise liners."

                "Are you alright?"

                "Just peachy."  He sat up rubbing his head.  "You?"

                "I'm fine." Clara said.

                "She has a broken wrist." Put in the elderly man.

                "It's nothing."  She didn't want the Doctor to worry or think her weak.

                He pulled out his sonic and in a serious voice said, "Let me see."  He seemed to know what she was doing.

                Resigned, Clara held out her arm.  The Doctor flicked a setting and focused the sonic screwdriver on her wrist.  With a strange tingling sensation the fracture sealed.  It still hurt, but not nearly as much.

                "Works great on the small stuff," the Doctor said twirling the sonic in the air, "Anything bigger and it's useless though."

                "Remarkable, young man!  If I had one of those I would have had the most successful practice in the city."

                "You're a medical man?"  The Doctor regarded him for the first time.

                "Retired.  I'm Dr. Jameson Daz."

                "Well, welcome back from retirement!" the Doctor said sardonically, "I'm the Doctor, which might get confusing."

                "And I'm Clara."  She turned to the Doctor, "What was that wave?  How can there be waves in space?"

                "There are lots of waves in space.  Magnetic, radioactive, light and sound.   I think what hit us was a Gamma Burst." 

                "A Gamma Burst?" Jameson cried, "Then how come we're not all dead?"

                "Must have been the tail end of one.   Probably been dissipating for light-years and I think the shields stopped most of it."

                 Clara didn't know much about science, everything beyond the basics was deemed inappropriate studies for a young lady.   It was clear from the Doctor and Jameson's expressions that a Gamma Burst was bad news though.   She was about to ask him to explain when the ship gave an almighty groan.  

                The Doctor jumped to his feet.  "Everybody hold on to something!" he yelled.   

                The people scrambled to follow his orders, whether they understood why or not.   Clara, the Doctor, and Jameson all grabbed onto a large wall sconce.    It stuck up out of what was currently the floor.  

                The room began to shift; the ship was up righting itself.   The process was so slow that it made Clara sick to her stomach.   It gave the guests who were closer to the ceiling time to inch back towards the real floor. 

                 Incredibly the Doctor was laughing.   Clara glared at him, there was no way this should be enjoyable.    He shot her a dazzling smile and she couldn't help grinning back.   They were both insane, Clara decided, that's all there was too it.  She found herself laughing with him as the ship finally leveled out.   

                The three of them let go of the sconce and dropped to the floor.   Clara immediately jumped into the Doctor's arms.   He spun them around in a circle with his usual exuberance.   

                "I'm too old for this." Said Jameson leaning against the wall.

                "What are you talking about you're still young." The Doctor said, releasing all but Clara's hand. 

                "I'm 67."

                "Exactly!" The Doctor pointed a finger at him.   Jameson shook his head in mild exasperation. 

                The klaxon abruptly cut off which Clara was grateful for.   It had been giving her a headache.   A speaker crackled to life and a slightly frazzled voice sounded throughout the ship. 

                "Ladies and Gentlemen, if you could all remain calm and stay where you are.   There has been no immediate damage to the Starship Jefferson."

                "Jefferson Starship.  _Seriously_?" the Doctor muttered.

                "I repeat there has been no damage to the ship.  Clean up will begin presently, thank you for your cooperation." Said the voice. 

                Everyone started talking at once and picking up their scattered belongings.   Mostly people just found chairs to sit in while waiting for the all clear looking miserable.   Rich, fashionable people rarely had such problems. 

                "So is that it then?" Clara wondered.

                The Doctor sighed, running his fingers through his hair.  "Looks like."

                "You don't sound convinced." Said Jameson.

                "If my life has taught me anything it's that: it never rains, it pours."

                "Fantastic." Clara muttered.

                "As my ninth self would say." He agreed.

                A fluttering and clicking noise came echoing down the hallway.  A great swarm of sliver bugs flew through the white archway.  They immediately descended on the debris, moving and organizing them.  Shattered glass reformed and broken wood resealed itself.

                Clara examined the beetles in fascination as they set to work on a table.  Once she got a closer look she realized they weren't bugs at all, but tiny machines.

                "Nano-bots." The Doctor explained, "They take care of basic janitorial work."

                "They're so cute!"  Clara smiled, picking up one of beetles.   It was so life-like, with its fat silver body and blue facetted eyes.    Its tiny antennae tickled her hand.

                "My goodness! Look at what they're doing." Jameson pointed.  

                All around the room objects began to multiply.   The moment the nano-bots finished repairing something they started making replications of it.   The ballroom was quickly filling up with furniture and glassware.   People were being pushed toward the walls or else buried behind the amount of junk. 

                "What were you saying about it pouring?" Clara said nervously.

                The Doctor scanned the nano-bot she was holding with his sonic.  "The Gamma radiation messed with their internal programming."  He frowned at Clara, "They're going to keep replicating until they literally crush us to death."

                Clara looked down at the beetle in disbelief.  This little toy was going to kill them?  It was absurd.    No way was she going to die because of something as stupid as replicating furniture.    "There has to be a way to turn them off."

                The Doctor gave Clara a swift kiss.  "Ha! Ha! Of course, why can't it be as simple as an off switch?  I'm always over thinking things."

                Clara wasn't sure if that was a complement or an insult. 

                "There's got to be a master control."  He paced back and forth, "If we can reach it we should be able to put all the nano's into sleep mode."

                "It's in the aft of deck three." Said Jameson suddenly.   He flushed slightly at their surprised looks, "What?  I actually read my welcome packet.  It was on the map."

                "Good man." The Doctor clapped him on the back.  "Now all we got to do is get there."

                "What are we waiting for then?" Clara cried.   She took off jumping over tables and kicking past chairs. 

                After ten minutes Clara realized this wasn't going to be as easy as she originally thought.    The hallways and staircases were so packed with replicated objects that getting through was nearly impossible.   Every few minutes the amount of junk would double in size, thankfully it was mostly smaller stuff but that didn't make them any less impassible.

                The Doctor, Clara, and Jameson climbed over and under, every now and then stopping to help dig people out.   They directed them back towards the ballroom assuming people would stand a better chance against the nano-bots together.  

                Struggling to the top of a mountain of sofas Clara spotted a particularly large problem ahead.   A couple dozen copy's of fallen chandeliers covered the second flight of stairs.   She scanned the area looking for any way past.   A metal box with a glass front panel hung on the wall below her.    Clara started inching toward it.   Finally she reached the floor, the Doctor and Jameson not far behind. 

                'Break in Case of Emergency' the glass read.  She smashed it in with her elbow and pulled out a red blaster.  Remarkably Clara understood how to work the device.  She pumped the barrel and aimed at the wall of chandeliers.  With a pull of the trigger the blaster disintegrated the first of the light fixtures.  Clara continued shooting climbing the stairs until she cleared them all.

                "Well, are you coming?" Clara called brightly to the two men staring at her wide eyed.

                "You're with _her_?" Jameson muttered to the Doctor impressed.   He nodded silently then hurried after Clara.

                Grinning, she led the charge blasting the larger objects out of their path.  Clara felt like a heroine from one of her books.  But for every thing she destroyed three more took its place.  The nano-bots were the mythical Hydra come to life.

                "The charge is running out." Clara said.

                "Just keep going, we're almost there." The Doctor replied, inspecting a map on the wall.

                Running through the final hallway Jameson stumbled knocking into a tower of service trolleys.  They teetered precariously then came crashing down.  He threw himself forward pushing Clara out of the way.   Jameson and the Doctor disappeared under the metal onslaught. 

                Clara started firing with the blaster, which was only designed to dissolve inanimate objects.  She got off three rounds before the green light on the side blinked out.  In frustration she flung the useless hunk of plastic to the side and began digging them out by hand.  Soon she found the Doctor and he was able to crawl free.  Together they managed to uncover Jameson.  He was unconscious and bleeding from the head.  

                The Doctor and Clara drug him away as the trolleys continued to replicate.  They were already threatening to overwhelm them again.

                "You go turn the nano's off.  I stay with him." Clara said.

                The Doctor glanced from her to the end of the hall clearly torn.  

                "I'll be fine, just go!"

                He nodded then took off sprinting down the corridor.    Clara saw him reach the circuit box and yank it open.  Then her view was cut off by the raising levels of junk and clicking nano-bots.   She held Jameson up so he wouldn’t suffocate, hoping she wasn't about to either.   The poor man blinked open his eyes only to realize the situation they were in.   Now completely pinned Clara and Jameson held on to each other as the piles reached above their heads.

                Abruptly the nano-bots stopped moving.   They all shut down and several of them fell clattering to the floor.  The replications had ceased, but they were still buried under a pile of arbitrary stuff.  

                The grinning face of the Doctor appeared looking down at Clara and Jameson.   He helped them climb out.    Clara immediately sat down on one of the many tables and lend against the wall with a sigh.

                "Next time I pick the location." She said.

               

 


	6. Light, Love, and Life

**~Light, Love, and Life~**

 

                The sun sparkled on the golden sand and the waves which crested the indigo ocean.    The warm floral scented breeze tickled Clara's skin.   She was lying on a blanket reading yet another book from the TARDIS library.   She'd worked her way through _Harry Potter_ (and wept inconsolably), most of the _Sherlock Holmes_ stories, and several murder mysteries.   Currently she was reading _To Kill A Mockingbird_.  It was Clara's goal to read the entire library though she knew that was a physical impossibility even if she lived as long as the Doctor.   It had multiple stories and thousands upon thousands of shelves with the swimming pool down at the bottom.   So far she was just reading whatever the Doctor recommended.

                She looked up from her book to see where he'd wander off to.   Clara spotted him at the far end of the beach at the edge of the palm trees.    They were the only people on the island according to the Doctor.   Apparently it hadn't been discovered yet on this world, whose name Clara couldn't remember to save her life.   

                The island was gorgeous and lush.   It was wild and pure, and the colors were so vibrant they almost hurt to look at.   They'd found fruit trees growing among the palms.   Clara point blank refused to eat any until the Doctor tried it first.   Once she was sure he wasn't about to die she took a bite.  That's when he pointed out they were different species so testing it on him was useless.   Thankfully the fruit didn't poison Clara either.  It was delicious with a flavor she couldn't name.   The Doctor said it tasted like doblen berries from Magellan X, she decided to take his word for it.

                She bookmarked her page and rolled over onto her back.   Clara closed her eyes relaxing in the warmth of the sunlight.   Having grown up in London she couldn't get enough sun, no matter whose sun it was.  This planet actually had two of them, one slightly smaller than the other.  A binary star system. 

                She'd almost fallen asleep when she heard the Doctor's footsteps.   He dropped down beside her.   When he didn't say anything Clara opened her eyes.  The Doctor was just sitting there watching her with a contemplative look on his face. 

                "You know most people find being stared at creepy." She teased.    Clara rolled her eyes at his guilty expression.   She entwined their fingers loving the way the Doctor lit up at the simple contact.  

                He was wearing a pair of purple swim trunks and Clara could tell he felt out of place without his usual uniform.   Clara wasn't complaining since it meant the Doctor was wandering around without a shirt on.   He clearly had similar thoughts about her outfit.   The man had actually walked into a doorframe when she came out of the wardrobe wearing a TARDIS blue bikini.   

                The Doctor traced the curve of Clara's lips with his fingertips.    She smiled up at him invitingly.  The Doctor needed nothing more than that, leaning down to press his lips against hers.   His mouth still tasted of wild fruit.  Clara bit his lip playfully, making the Doctor tighten his fingers in her hair.   She could feel his hearts racing in time with her own.   Eventually they broke apart needing oxygen. 

                The Doctor propped himself on his elbow lying next to her on the blanket.   He left one hand resting lightly on her stomach.  

                "Thank you for bringing me here.  It's perfect." Clara said. 

                "I just thought I should take you on a real date without any end of the world stuff involved.   It's the human-y thing to do."

                "If this is our first date then we're really doing things out of order." She smiled suggestively.   

                The Doctor turned red making Clara laugh.  He was so awkward and easy to embarrass.   She snuggled closer to him.   His lower body temperature contrasted with the heat of the island.   They lay like that for a long time listening to birdsong and the roar of the tides.   It was wonderful just to enjoy the pleasure of each other's company.   Normally they were moving too fast. 

                Afterwards they ran down to the water's edge.   The warm, clear waves lapped against Clara's legs.    Without warning the Doctor scooped her into his arms with a mischievous expression.  He glanced from Clara to the water and back again.

                "No! Don't even think-!" she yelled as the Doctor threw her in.

                Clara stood up sputtering.  He was still laughing when she tackled him backwards.   They both fell into the waves.  The fight was on.   They splashed water at each other and ran up and down the beach.   Hindered by the surf Clara wasn't quick enough to escape the Doctor for long.   She wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling weightless in the ocean.  

                "Everything is new with you." The Doctor said in amazement holding her close.  "Eleventh me's never been good with emotions, Ten was better at that.  But with you…" 

                 He whispered something in Gallifreyan Clara didn't understand, and then captured her mouth with his roughly.   Clara responded by pressing herself against him, trying to say without words she felt the same.     The kiss became more passionate, more urgent, pushing them over an invisible edge.   

                 The Doctor carried Clara back to the shore and together they sank down onto the blanket.   In a frenzied haste they tore away their clothing.   The Doctor trailed kisses down her body, hands sliding along her curves.   Clara gasped in delight arching into him.   Reason was lost to sensation, taste and touch, as they made love in the heat of the afternoon. 

                Later Clara lay draped across the Doctor's chest, blissfully relaxed.   He caressed her cheek softly and she leaned into his touch.

                "I don't deserve you." He whispered. 

                "Don't say that."

                The Doctor's timeless eyes saddened, "I'm not a good person."

                Clara placed a finger to his lips softly.   "You've been forced to make terrible decisions, that doesn't make you a bad person.   Everywhere we go all you ever do is try to help.   And despite what you think of yourself I couldn't love a monster."  

                He rubbed up and down her spine absently, obviously wrestling with something in his mind.   Clara waited unsure what he was thinking about.   Suddenly a bright smile lit up the Doctor's face.  He sat up moving Clara with him. 

                "This isn't quite how I planned things."  He muttered nervously, "Then again, when do any of my plans work out?"

                Clara forced him to look at her, "Doctor what are you talking about?" 

                He stopped rambling and focused on her.   She couldn't tell if he was excited or about to pass out from fear.   The Doctor took a deep breath.

                "Clara Oswin Oswald, you are perfect beyond measure and I love you more than I've ever loved anyone.   I was a broken man and you brought me back to life.   You taught me how to live again.  I can't promise our life will be stable or without danger.  But I can promise that no matter what I will do everything within my power to protect you and make you happy.  I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you marry me?"

                For a moment Clara couldn't believe her ears.   This was everything she'd ever wanted, but didn't dare to dream for.   Her eyes filled with joyous tears as Clara threw her arms around the Doctor's neck.

                "Umm… Is that a yes?"

                "Yes!  A thousand times yes!"  Clara cried. 

                The Doctor cradled her face in his hands, smiling in pure joy.  "I love you."

                "I love you too." She said with a smile to match his own.

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	7. Phone Calls from the Past

**~Phone Calls from the Past~**

 

                "You are under arrest for attempted kidnapping, and suspicion of murder.   Do you understand your rights as I have read them to you?"  said the officer.

                "Where is Clara?" the Doctor demanded.              

                "Miss Oswald has been taken into protective custody.  I'm afraid you won't be seeing her again."

***

**24 HOURS EARLIER**

                The Doctor paced back and forth in the console room.   His wife to be was still sleeping and he found she was all he could think about.   It was alarming really how singularly focused his mind had become.   Normally he could discover the flaw in Einstein's theory of relativity, invent a new flavor of milkshake, and do complex algorithms all without losing track of the conversation he was having.  

                Now the Doctor could hardly string two words together when Clara was in the room.   The way she laughed, the way she smiled, the way the light caught her hair.  He'd never been such a lovesick teenager before, even when he was a teenager.    Part of the Doctor wished these overtly human symptoms would never wear off.   The rest of him worried about the dangers of being so distracted. 

                He needed to protect Clara.   Not that the Doctor thought she couldn't take care of herself, because she certainly could.  But because he feared the future.  Oswin Oswald, Soufflé Girl, the woman who died at the hands of the Daleks, was Clara.   The Doctor was sure of it.   He never saw Oswin's face which is why it took so long to put the two together, but she had the same voice, same name, same _everything_.   The question then became: how did Clara end up without any idea who he was?   What disaster wiped him from Clara's memories?

                The Doctor wasn't going to let that happen.  He was the last of the Time Lords, the Oncoming Storm, and nothing was going to take her from him.   The Doctor knew he would ask Clara to marry him since the day the Ripper died.   Human lives were too short; he'd learned that the hard way.  It was selfish and cruel, but he couldn't give her up.  

                He'd spent weeks planning the perfect way to ask Clara and done tons of research on traditional human methods of purposing.   A fancy dinner with candle light seemed to be the best option.  He was going to take her to a restaurant in 47th century Earth, and then there'd been the island and well…

                The Doctor's face split into a big foolish grin.   Clara said yes.   Nothing in the universe mattered beyond that fact.   In his mind they were already married, since the moment she'd accepted.   The wedding and such were just trivial details.   Of course the Doctor knew Clara didn't feel that way.   As different as she was from other Victorian women she was raised with certain traditions.   He didn't have the faintest idea how to plan a wedding though, especially since they lived in time machine.   How in the universe were they supposed to set a date?  And their friends all lived in different centuries.

                The console phone rang shrilly interrupting the Doctor's raising panic attack.   He picked up on the third ring.

                "Hello?"

                "Doctor, I need your help." Said Sarah Jane. 

***

                Clara woke to the sound of the TARDIS phone.   She rolled over to find the Doctor's side of the bed empty.  Frowning Clara sat up feeling a little disgruntled.   The Doctor needed only a fraction of the amount of sleep she did, but he usually came back before she woke up.   Probably had something to do with whoever was calling.  Hopefully it wasn't the end of the world.   Clara stumbled into the bathroom.  There was no way she was fighting an alien invasion without a shower first. 

                The Doctor was waiting for her on the bed when she came out wrapped in a towel.   Warm air swirled around Clara helping dry her hair faster. 

                "You never do that for me." The Doctor complained to the TARDIS.   He was immediately blasted in the face with an ice, cold gust nearly knocking him over.   "Geesh, overreact much?"

                Clara giggled at their antics.    She crossed over to the wardrobe and started getting dressed.  "So what's up?"

                "I've been summoned to April 15th, 2010."

                Clara turned to him surprised.  She couldn't really imagine anyone summoning the Doctor, well besides her.   "What's in April 2010?"

                "Not sure exactly." He said, "Sarah Jane found something I need to look into."

                "Your old companion?" Clara asked.  

                It was hard to get him to talk about the past, so she didn't expect the past to simply call the Doctor on the phone.   It had been centuries since he'd last seen Sarah Jane, but then again this was _time travel_.   Maybe she only saw the man yesterday from her perspective?   This must be what the Doctor referred to as 'timey-wimey'.    It gave Clara a headache.

                "She's an investigative journalist now." He explained with a hint of pride in his voice.  "She looks into alien activities on Earth.  Pestering both UNIT and Torchwood whenever she gets the chance." 

                "You've mentioned UNIT, but what's Torchwood?"

                "An institution of a bunch of alien hunting, bureaucratic idiots that Queen Victoria set up in opposition to me." The Doctor said.   "Though Torchwood three isn't so bad."

                "Are you saying I'm marring an enemy of the crown?"  Clara teased.   "How salacious."

                "I've also been knighted if that makes you feel any better."

                "How about we agree to only tell my father that part?"

                The Doctor paled visibly.   Clara shared the sentiment; she was absolutely terrified of telling her father about the impending nuptials.   First of all, as far as he knew she was still a governess and she'd visited him not two weeks ago.   Therefore her father had no idea Clara even had a suitor, let alone one with time to purpose.   Then she had to explain that he was over a thousand years old and an alien.   Honestly, Clara wasn't sure which part was going to go over worst.

                Suitably dressed with her hair and makeup done, Clara led the way to the console room.   The Doctor started flipping switches and pushing buttons.  The tower rotated and the lights flashed as the ship dropped out of the Vortex.   Clara suddenly felt nervous.   What would her fiancé's former companion be like?  Would Sarah Jane like her?  Would she like Sarah Jane?

                She didn't have long to worry.  The Doctor threw open the doors the moment the TARDIS landed.   Clara stepped outside to find a small group waiting for them.   A pretty middle aged woman and three teenagers, two boys and a girl.   Sarah Jane brightened the moment she saw the Doctor and the kids mostly seemed excited about the TARDIS. 

                "Sarah Jane!" the Doctor cried pulling her into a hug.  "You haven't aged a day."

                She laughed, "You're one to talk.  You look like a child, I'll never get used to it." 

                He turned to the teens, "You three still wreaking havoc on the greater London area?"

                "That would imply a negative connotation." Said the fair skinned boy logically, while the girl rolled her eyes.

                "He means yes." Said the other boy. 

                The Doctor took Clara's hand leading her forward.  "Clara, I'd like you to meet Sarah Jane Smith investigator extraordinaire, her son Luke, and his friends Clyde and Rani.   Everybody this is Clara, my fiancé."

                There was a slightly stunned silence.   Clara bit her lip nervously, then Sarah Jane laughed. 

                "Way to spring that on everyone."  She gave Clara a surprisingly warm hug, "He was never big on subtlety."

                "Believe me I've noticed."

                The Doctor groaned, "You're going to gang up on me now, aren't you?"

                "Well really Doctor!  I've never known you to even date before, then you just casually announce you're getting married." Scolded Sarah Jane.  She ignored her friend's sputtering.

                "Where, or I guess when, are you from?" Rani asked Clara.

                "London 1888.  That's where I met the Doctor." She said.   Clara found herself easily assimilated into the group.  Her apprehension at meeting the Doctor's friends quickly dissipated. 

                "Wow, I've always wanted to visit the Victorian era.  It sounds so romantic." Rani said wistfully.

                Clara laughed, "That's not exactly how I would describe it, and anyway I'm sure your time period is far more interesting."

                "Well we do get the right to vote." The girl consented.

                "Whereas women I my time period are only supposed to be concerned with the seasons latest fashions from Paris and finding a husband."

                The three women shared matching expressions of distaste.

                The Doctor put his arms around the boys' shoulders and stage whispered, "They're all going to be mad at us in a minute, just wait."

                "Why?"

                "Because we're men." The Doctor said sagely.

                "Oh shut it." Said Sarah Jane.

                "See."  He glanced around and abruptly switched topics.  "So why are we in deeply boring Adamsborough?"

                The TARDIS had landed next to a roadway outside of a small town.  It looked just like any other country village Clara had ever seen.    Even with the telephone poles, cars, and computers the basics were all the same.   Cottages, gardens, the pub, and a couple of shops.  

                Sarah Jane explained, "I got wind of a series of mysterious disappearances here.   Young women have been vanishing into thin air and the police don't have a single lead.   I came to check it out and, since Luke is on break from University, this lot came too." 

                "I feel so wanted." Clyde deadpanned.

                "The latest victim was Paige Connors, age 19.  Her brother saw her leave the house at 5:45; the neighbor who was watering her plants confirmed this.   She said Paige walked down the street and turned the corner.   The woman remembered because she thought Paige was acting odd.   Smiling and singing to herself, I quote:  'like folks do in church'.  No one's seen her since and that was two days ago.  It's the same with the four other girls, all of whom have gone missing in the last month.

                I questioned their friends.   Three days before she went missing Paige told her friends she met a man.   Same story with Lucy Hill, Beth Chambers, Gray Jordon, and Murasaki Tan.  Each girl described the man as new to the area and quite charming.   They'd meet outside the pub and get to talking.  Some of the friends thought his name was John, others said Steven.   Both Paige and Murasaki said that he gave them his phone number. 

                I was starting to believe this was a totally human crime, when I discovered trace evidence of a teleportation system.    It seems to be a wormhole like device which leaves a burn mark and a slight energy residue behind.   Since wormholes indicate something going on off planet I decided to call you." Sarah Jane finished. 

                The Doctor's frown deepened as he listened to her story.  "Teleportation in middle of nowhere England?  What would anyone with access to that kind of technology need here of all places?" he wondered.    He was clearly intrigued by the mystery.   "You best show me where you found the energy residue."

                "Figured you'd say that." Said Sarah Jane.  

 

 


	8. Drinking Alone

**~Drinking Alone~**

 

                "You're right it's a wormhole or was a wormhole anyway."  The Doctor said, while scanning the ground with his sonic screwdriver.  

                Sarah Jane led them to a ring of scorch marks on a sidewalk.   It was right on the street Paige disappeared from.  There were similar faded burns near where each girl was last seen.   The local police had taken note of them, yet couldn't find a way to link them to the cases.  

                "Yes I figured that much out already," Sarah Jane quipped holding up her own sonic lipstick.  "I just can't figure out where the other end is." 

                "It's in this galaxy." He said checking the reading.

                "Well that really narrows it down, only 400 billion options." 

                Clara watched their bickering with interest.  She didn't feel threatened by the other woman, it wasn't like that.  But there was something about the whole situation which bothered her.   The Doctor clearly cared for Sarah Jane, not in the way he cared for Clara, but he still cared.   And even so the man only dropped by every few hundred years and only when Sarah Jane called him.   Was she looking into her own future?  Is this what her life would become, a husband who vanished for centuries at a time the older she got?

                Clara shook herself mentally.  She was getting worked up over nothing.  The Doctor wasn't going to abandon her.  The man deserved more credit than that.   The whole ageing thing was a bit of an issue, but they'd cross that bridge when they came to it.

                "Why would an alien be kidnapping humans?" Clyde wondered.  "It just seems like a lot of trouble to go through."

                "Plenty of reasons," the Doctor said looking up, "Soldiers, labor force, they're teachers who find out their student's actually from another planet…  That last one's probably only happened to me." 

                "Barbra and Ian told me _all_ about that." Said Sarah Jane.

                "I apologized for the whole abduction thing." He muttered sheepishly. 

                The Doctor continued to fiddle with the sonic.   At last he shouted triumphantly, jumping to his feet.  "I've got a lock on the signal!  When it's open this connects to Mandel, a planet less than 28,000 light-years from Earth."

                "Is Mandel known for kidnapping humans?"

                "Actually it's known for its cheese."  Said the Doctor thoughtfully, "It's their number one export."

                Clara placed a hand on his arm before he went off on a tangent.   She gave him a pointed look.

                "Right," he agreed, "Relevant information.   The wormhole is manmade, not just a freak cosmic accident.   And it's been recently closed from this side meaning whoever's behind this is in Adamsborough right now." 

                "Then we have a plan." Said Sarah Jane.  "All the victims were originally targeted at the pub, _The Fallen Rook_ , so Clara and Rani can hangout there pretending to be lonely single women.  I'll be in the background as backup and you boys can continue to scour the area looking for clues."

                The Doctor tried to protest using the girls as bait, but they shouted him down.   It was the only plan they had.   He did demand they stop by a store and pick up a cellphone for Clara before heading to the bar.

                "I've been meaning to get you one for ages." He said, "I with my adjustments you can now call anywhere in space or time.  More specifically you can call me."

                "You worry too much." Clara smiled.

                "Are you kidding, Love?  Just last week we went to a museum and ended up locked in a dungeon!"

                She gave him a swift, sweet kiss forcing the Doctor calm down.  "I'll be fine." 

***

                Clara and Rani sat by themselves at opposite ends of the bar drinking sodas.   While Sarah Jane kept watch from a table in the corner.   The boys were outside trying to look inconspicuous, something the Doctor found difficult at the best of times.   The Fallen Rook was packed and noisy, a crowded array of pool tables, chairs, and wood paneling.    Half the town was there, probably because there was nothing else to do after six.  

                Several patrons were shooting her furtive looks.  Clara assumed it was because she was a stranger.    Many of the men however were just downright staring, often at either her legs or chest.   Clara did her best to ignore them, but it made her highly uncomfortable.   Did they know nothing of etiquette?   Gentlemen did not simply gape at a lady as though she were a mare at auction.  It was indecorous!

                As if to drive home her point a middle aged man came over and took the stool next to Clara's.   He'd clearly had one too many.  She could smell the whiskey on his breath a mile off.   He propped himself against the bar so that he wouldn't topple over. 

                "I ain't seen you 'ere before, Love." The man slurred.  

                The Doctor called her 'Love' and it was quite disturbing to hear it from this leering drunkard.   Clara glared at him, but he didn't appear to notice. 

                "I'm on holiday." She replied icily.

                 "Then I'm in luck."  The man leaned forward placing his calloused hand on Clara's thigh.  She jerked backwards at the unexpected contact.

                "Get your hands off of me!"  Clara hissed, jumping to her feet.    Several people broke off their conversations at Clara's outburst.   They turned to stare at them. 

                "Awww don't be like that babe."  Said the drunk.  He grabbed her wrist preventing her from leaving.   He wasn't smiling anymore.

                "I would let go of her if I were you." Said a deadly voice.   The Doctor appeared at the man's side.   He must have been watching through the window.   The air in the room got colder.   Everyone could feel the waves of carefully controlled rage coming off the Doctor.

                "What's it to you?"         

                Squeezing the man's arm the Doctor forced him to release Clara.   He then twisted it back effortlessly making the drunk cry out.  "Because the lady told you to leave her alone."

                "Dave!" snapped the bartender, "Go home. Now!" 

                The man jerked his arm free.   He glared at Clara then marched out slamming the door behind him. 

                "Are you alright?" the Doctor asked.  His concern for her was the only thing keeping his anger under control.   His expression was a frightening, emotionless mask.

                "I'd very much like to hit something, but I'm fine."

                The bartender handed Clara a glass of water.  "I'm sorry about Dave.  He's the town asshole."

                "Everybody please stop fussing." Clara said before Sarah Jane or Rani could blow their cover.  They'd come over during the exchange.   They melted back into the crowd before anyone could realize they knew each other.  

                A blond girl sitting a few seats away broke out in a fit of giggles.  "Dave will be chasing skirt until he's old and gray, but he won't catch any 'till his dying day." She said in a sing-song voice, and then doubled over in another fit of laughter.

                The Doctor and Clara exchanged raised eyebrows.   There was something extremely off about the girl.   She didn't make eye contact with anyone, just sat there giggling and smiling to herself.   Her expression was oddly euphoric. 

                "What's your name?" Clara asked kindly.

                "Vicky." She smiled.

                "Are you ok, Vicky?"  Clara and the Doctor sat next to her, as the rest of the bar return to its business.

                "Oh, I'm wonderful." Said the girl, "I have a date tonight.  I'm just waiting for him to call.  Only don't tell my mum, she'd be very angry."

                "Your mother doesn't want you going out?" the Doctor questioned. 

                "Not after what's happened lately.  But John isn't a bad guy, he's amazing." Vicky said dreamily.

                "That's nice." Said Clara motioning for the Doctor to follow her.   Once they were out of ear shot she said, "I'm going to take a wild guess and say she's the next victim." 

                He nodded, frowning.   "We'll have to follow her."

                "Well, we don't have to wait long, look." Clara watched Vicky answer her phone with a wide grin.   She immediately hopped off her stool and headed towards the door.

                They followed Vicky outside carefully keeping a distance so she wouldn't notice.  Clara didn't find that likely since the girl was practically sleep walking.    The rest of the group quickly joined them. 

                "I think she's been drugged." Said Luke.  "Something with effects similar to Ecstasy."

                "It must take three days to take effect." Stated Rani, "He gives them the dose at the bar then three days later they happily wander off with him."

                Vicky eventually turned onto a quiet street lined with houses.  She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stood there waiting.    Sarah Jane and the kids broke off to circle around the other side of the block and keep watch from that side.   The Doctor and Clara hung back just out of sight, though Clara noticed a woman watching her from a window across the street.   

                The woman saw Clara and quickly closed the curtains.  She was about to say something about this odd behavior when a man appeared at the end of the street.   He wasn't exactly handsome, yet neither was he plain.   He was completely nondescript.   Clara found it disturbing.  

                The Doctor jumped out waving his sonic screwdriver threateningly.   "Step away from the girl."

                John grabbed Vicky using her as a shield.  He pulled out a metal device and clicked a button.   A glowing blue portal ripped open behind him.   It ripped like water. 

                "I'm warning you!" the Doctor yelled.   He flipped on the sonic and the wormhole began to shrink. 

                "How did you-?"  John panicked, shoving Vicky forward and diving through the wormhole.   It snapped shut behind him. 

                The Doctor caught Vicky before she hit the ground.   She was incoherent and barely conscious.  He lowered her to the ground while Clara checked for injuries. 

                "Freeze!" yelled a voice. 

                Clara turned to find four PCs with their guns trained on them.   They appeared to have missed everything with the wormhole, though one officer did look a little shocked.  The Doctor quickly hid the sonic from sight and put his hands in the air.

                "Evening officers."

                "Get down on the ground now." Said a policewoman. 

                Clara complied her heart pounding.   The officers made quick work of detaining them and calling in an ambulance for Vicky.   Clara was put in a separate car from the Doctor and driven away from the scene.   She saw no sign of Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, or Rani which was probably for the better.    The whole situation had gotten completely out of hand.


	9. Reflections in a Photograph

**~Reflections in a Photograph~**

               

                Clara was surprised when the police took her to the local medical center along with Vicky.   They treated her with caution as though see might become violent at any moment, but everyone was also very nice to her.   They placed her in an examination room with one female officer to stand guard.   The officer didn't say anything, just stood in the corner.

                The room was about as boring as such rooms could be.   Beige walls covered in posters about washing your hands and taking vitamins, and gray lament flooring smelling strongly of disinfectant.   The table she was sitting on was made of light blue plastic and crinkled every time Clara moved.  Even in her current apprehension it was irritating.            

                A nurse came to examine Clara.   She wore pink scrubs with little teddy bears on them suggesting she normally worked with children.   The woman was friendly, yet the ordeal was still embarrassing.   She asked Clara a series of increasingly awkward questions mostly about her relationship with the Doctor.   She wasn't used to people being so direct on subjects that would be considered taboo in her world.   Not that Clara conformed to those ideals, obviously since she wouldn't be wearing white at her wedding.  

                Things got even more uncomfortable when the nurse took note of the amount of bruising on Clara's body.   She often got pretty banged up on her and the Doctor's misadventures.   He healed quickly, she didn't.  The nurse looked like she wanted to give Clara a hug, but her professionalism got in the way.   Clara had a sneaking suspicion she knew where this was going.

                "You think he hurt me, don't you?" she asked quietly.

                "Did he?"

                "No!" Clara cried.   She wanted someone to believe her.  She hated that they thought the Doctor capable this.  "He would never hurt me!  And he didn't hurt Vicky either; we were trying to help her."

                The nurse frowned at Clara's earnestness.   She clearly wanted to believe her but wasn't allowed to say so.   "All I can do is report what I see.   And that's a young woman in good health.  Despite the bruising, I find no direct signs of abuse.  Though that's enough to concern me."

                After the exam Clara was taken to the police station, which was next door.  It was small, but swarming with officers from three different counties.   Obviously they had everyone working on the missing girls' case.  If only the police hadn't caught the wrong man.   She didn't see any sign of the Doctor. 

                Clara was processed; they took her picture and fingerprints.   After that everyone treated her as though she were breakable, while asking her questions.  She tried to be as honest as possible without saying she lived in a time machine or that her fiancé was an alien.   That probably wouldn't go over too well.   Even so her answers were vague enough to frustrate the officers.  She could say her name, age, and that she was originally from London, but other than that nothing.    

                Clara found herself in an integration room.  It was cold, poorly lit, and creepy.   She wondered if she was being paranoid because it felt like the mirror on the wall was watching her.   Clara tried not to look at it and instead stared at a water stain.   A long time passed before the door opened and Officer Reese stepped in.    He'd been the one questioning her earlier. 

                Clara looked up when Reese entered the room.   He had a file in his hands and a concerned expression.  

                "We ran your fingerprints," he said in the same kind voice he'd used all evening.  "And we got a match." 

                She waited for him to continue.  Reese took the chair opposite her and carefully placed the file between them.  

                "Five years is a long time, Clara.   Now I don’t want you to get upset, but I need to know what he did to you." 

                Reese withdrew a photograph from the file and set it in front of Clara.   She gasped in shock.  It was a picture of her younger self, only the photo was dated 9 May, 2005.

                "That's not possible!" she cried.   

                What the hell was going on?  The girl in the picture was undoubtedly her, but it wasn't _her_.  It was in color with modern clothing and there was a car in the background for goodness sake!

                Reese watched her reaction with interest.   "Clara Oswald, age 14, dies in a car accident along with her parents in 2005.  Their car hits a patch of ice and skids off a bridge.   Only the daughter's body is never recovered.   It seems now we know why."  

                Clara shook her head uncomprehendingly.   It felt like she was going to get sick.  Everything about this was wrong.   "That's not me!"

                "You told me yourself you were Clara Oswald." Reese said patiently.  "How did you end up with Mr. Smith or should I say 'the Doctor'?  Did he find you in the river or later?"

                Clara didn't respond.  The photo had her full attention.   The other Clara smiled up at her oblivious to the fact she was going to die.   A shiver ran down her spine.  Was she some kind of ghost?

                "Where are the other girls?"

                "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She said, "But the Doctor had nothing to do with it.  Some guy attacked Vicky; we were just trying to help her!" 

                "You were seen following her out of the bar." He stated.

                Clara sighed in exasperation.   The officer was only doing his job.  Not knowing about aliens and wormholes he was doing the best that he could.  Clara understood, but it didn't make her any less irritated.  They were accusing the man she loved of kidnapping women and holding her as some sort of concubine.   As if any man could keep her against her will. 

                "Yes! Because she was acting oddly we thought something might be wrong with her.  Looks like we were right."

                "Even if that were true it doesn't explain how you're alive.   How did you survive the crash?  Where have you been the last five years?" queried Reese.

                "You want the truth?" Clara snapped, "Here it is: I'm a time traveler.  I was born in 1865.  I have no idea who that girl is or why she looks like me.   I do know that the missing women were taken through a wormhole to a planet called Mandel.  That enough truth for you?"

                For a fraction of a second recognition flickered in the officer's eyes, before returning to distain.   It was quick but Clara caught it. 

                "You saw it didn't you?"

 

***

                PC Talbot was waiting for Reese outside the interrogation room.   He'd been watching through the two-way mirror during Clara's questioning. 

                "He's sure done a number on her brain." Said Talbot. 

                Reese nodded.   Everything about his conversation with the girl unnerved him.   From her bewildered reaction to her own photo to her fantastical explanation.   Though it was true that for a split second when he'd turned the corner Reese would have sworn he saw a blue gateway in the middle of the sidewalk.   This was of course nothing but a trick of the light, yet then how did Clara know about it? 

                Talbot continued oblivious to his colleague's distress, "The hospital's saying there is some kind of foreign compound in Vicky Strong's blood.   He must dose them to make them more compliant before brainwashing them."

                "Brainwashing?" said Reese.

                "It's not like it’s a story we haven't heard before." Talbot said disgustedly, "The handsome, charismatic man who takes women and convinces them to do his bidding."   He nodded towards Clara's door.  "The nurse said she wasn't an unwilling participant.   Not surprising if he's been keeping her holed up somewhere for 5 years, you know the whole Stockholm syndrome thing.   Just never expected it to happen here."

                "I think I prefer the days where all we had to deal with was vandalism." Reese sighed, opening the door to the second interrogation room.

                The odd young man was waiting for him impassively, handcuffed to the table.   Reese hadn't dealt with him directly yet.  Everyone who had couldn't stop talking about him.   He'd been completely cooperative, beyond insisting that he wasn’t their suspect and that they ought to let him go.   His driver's license identified him as a Mr. John Smith, age 26, from London.   Reese highly doubted the validity of that and he kept referring to himself as 'The Doctor'.    Sitting down across from him Reese gave the usual right to silence speech.

                "You are under arrest for attempted kidnapping, and suspicion of murder.   Do you understand your rights as I have read them to you?"  said the officer.

                "Where is Clara?" the Doctor demanded.              

                "Miss Oswald has been taken into protective custody.  I'm afraid you won't be seeing her again."

                "Why exactly is my fiancé in protective custody?" the man asked with a humorless smile. 

                "You and Miss Oswald are getting married?"  he replied keeping his face equally controlled.

                The Doctor leaned back in his chair causally.  Though he was the one in restraints he had control of the room.   It was effortless.   Reese had been warned about the man's magnetic personality already; it had been messing with everyone who talked to him.   He had a nonchalant, if impatient, attitude but Reese could see an anger simmering behind his eyes.   This was not a man to cross.  

                 "We haven't set a date yet or anything, I've only just asked her.  I haven't even got the chance to give her the ring."

                "Why wait so long to ask her?" the officer inquired.

                Confusion flickered in the man's eyes, "I've only known her few months.  I was thinking I'd jumped the gun a bit, myself." 

                "Only a few months?  I find that hard to believe."  Reese pulled out the photo of 14 year old Clara Oswald and slammed it down on the table.  "Because what I think is she was your first victim.   Did you see the car go over or did you find her later?  Thought she was pretty, easy to manipulate? Decided to keep her for yourself?"

                The man stared at the photo with the same flabbergasted expression as the girl.   Again the reaction seemed genuine.  Reese was starting to wonder if there wasn't something else going on here.   Suddenly the Doctor laughed, a thousand watt smile lighting up his face.

                "This is brilliant!  Something's going on, something impossible!  I have absolutely no idea what, but this means I can save her!"  he cried.   He looked up at Reese, "And you're going to help me."

                "What?"

                "You want to get the missing girls back, right?  So do I." said the Doctor, "That's why I'm here.  But the longer I'm stuck in here the less likely it is I can save them."

                "Why's that?"  Reese knew he was losing it, because he felt like he could trust the Doctor.   He had every reason to suspect the man of murder, yet he wanted to do what he said.   It wasn't logical. 

                "Because the longer the wormhole stays closed the harder it is to reopen."  The Doctor narrowed his eyes watching Reese's reaction to that statement.   He smiled again.

                "I knew you saw it!" he said, "It was all over your face at the scene.   Now you can either keep pretending it was your imagination or you can help me.   What's it going to be?"

                Reese glanced between the Doctor and the two-way mirror.   God help him, he was going to do it.   He was going to do what the Doctor asked.

 


	10. The Artist's Masterpiece

**~The Artist's Masterpiece~**

               

                The fire alarm blared to life.  Clara shrieked at the sudden noise.  It vibrated off the walls in the confined space of the interrogation room, rattling her teeth.  She covered her ears praying they'd turn it off before she went deaf.

                The door burst open revealing Reese and the Doctor.  Both men looked frazzled, but the Doctor was wearing his usual maniac grin.

                "Someone order a jail break?"

                "Doctor!"

                Clara ran across the room and flung herself into his arms.  If he'd been human the Doctor would have been knocked over by her rather passionate attack.   As it was, he barely kept them upright happily kissing her back.  Clara wasn't normally so damsel-in-distress, but she'd had a really bad day.  

                Reese grunted in exasperation.

                The Doctor managed to disentangle himself from Clara, chuckling at her enthusiastic greeting.  "We best save that for later, Love.  We're escaping remember?"

                "So let's go!" implored Reese.

                Clara squeezed the Doctor's hand as they took off at a run.  The station was mostly deserted due to the alarm as the personal abandoned their coffee cups and paperwork heading for the door.   No one noticed or stopped them.  Of course all they had to do was sprint from the interrogation room to the side entrance less than 50 ft away.  A feat not all that impressive. 

                "I'm so getting fired." The officer muttered, ushering them outside.

                "You're doing the right thing though." The Doctor reassured him. 

                Reese directed them down a back alley before they could be spotted.   It was dusk and the street lamps were just flickering on.   They gave the cold, deserted roadways an eerie quality.  Or perhaps that was just how Clara's overwhelmed mind perceived it.  After about a block they slowed their pace, trying to look inconspicuous.  

                "Why are you helping us?" she asked Reese.   Clara didn't understand the complete 180 turnaround the evening had taken.   Though she was happy to be out of the station.

                The man didn't meet her eyes at first, "Because you were right I did see something.  But this is just insanity."

                "Welcome to our world." 

                Clara stopped walking knowing she had to ask something, but was unsure what to say.  The Doctor turned to her a question in his eyes.   The photo, she needed to know about the photo.  The whole situation confounded her and if she was being truthful Clara had to admit she was scared.  

                "The police showed me a picture of a girl who died, a girl they thought was me.   But she wasn’t me even though she looked exactly like me.  She even had my name!  How is that possible?"  Clara could hear the tremor in her voice and hated it. 

                The Doctor was at her side in an instant, kissing her forehead and rubbing soothing circles on her back.   Yet his words were no comfort, no matter how softly he said them.  "I don't know."

                "But you always know."  Clara searched his face only to find her own anxieties reflected back.

                "Not this time."  The Doctor gazed into her eyes imploringly, "But I promise we'll figure it out." 

                The Doctor admitting ignorance, nothing frightened Clara more than that.  He was the man with the answers, if not always a plan.   He was worried and trying to hide it, though Clara could see through the Doctor's façade.   She knew him too well. 

                Reese watched their interaction with interest, obviously striving to grasp what was going on.

                Suddenly there was a rustling noise in the dark making them all jump.  The Doctor instinctively pulled Clara against him.  Four people stepped out of the shadows and into the yellow glow of the street lights.    It was Sarah Jane and her teenaged cohorts.

                "I was wondering where you lot got off to." He quipped, relaxing his grip on Clara.

                "Planning your rescue of course." Said Sarah Jane with a knowing smile.   It was clear that planning rescue missions for the Doctor was a common occurrence in her life.   Clara figured all his previous companions could relate.   She was certainly no exception.

                "Yeah, we had an epic plan involving spoons and a hologram!" said Clyde, "Then you went and got out by yourself."

                "I'm sorry to disappoint you." Clara laughed.

                "Not that we're not glad you're ok." Luke put in hurriedly. 

                "You're the journalist who was interviewing the captain." Reese realized.  "So you know about aliens?"

                "I've seen a thing or two." Sarah Jane said cryptically.

                  Clearly still in a bit of a daze the officer followed the group as they headed down the street.  The Doctor, who managed to get back his sonic screwdriver, explained that the easiest place to reopen the wormhole was its last location.  

                The burn mark was a fresh scar on the pavement where Vicky was attacked.   They stood back as the Doctor scanned the area trying to get a lock on the signal.   He focused the sonic on a point some three feet off the ground.   The air ripped open.   Glowing and rippling the portal grew in size until it was large enough for a man to pass through. 

                "Right then." Said the Doctor straitening his bow tie.   "Time for some thrilling heroics."

                "Did you really just quote _Firefly_?" Rani muttered.

                "Possibly."

                "Ok, Luke, Rani, and Clyde you're staying here." Instructed Sarah Jane.   "No arguments.  There is no way I'm allowing you to go off world."

                The teens grumbled but obviously knew they weren't going to change her mind.  Frowning they watched the adults step up to the wormhole. 

                The Doctor and Clara shared a brief encouraging smile and clasped hands tightly.

                  "Geronimo."

                Clara expected it to be cool like water instead she felt nothing.  One second she was on the sidewalk the next she was in a room.   It was a laboratory.   Or at least a madman's version of one.   Every inch of the space was filled with medal instruments, test tubes, and jars of pickled things Clara didn't want to think about.   Diagrams and pictures of human anatomy were stuck haphazardly on the walls along with roughly scribbled notes.  

                "Dear god." Breathed Reese drawing his gun.  "I don't like the looks of this at all." 

                Sarah Jane found a door leading out of the room.   It was almost invisible under the amount of notes tacked to it.  Cautiously she pushed it open.   If the laboratory was the frying pan than this was the fire.   Clara gasped in horror at the sight before her.

                They'd found themselves in an art gallery.  Only the works on display weren't paintings, but people.    Lucy Hill, Beth Chambers, Gray Jordon, Murasaki Tan, and Paige Connors, all the missing girls were there.    Frozen and posed like statuary in a Greek temple, dressed as if for a party.  The girls were positioned throughout the space on little platforms under spot lights. 

      Clara didn't know if they were alive or dead.   The Doctor inspected the closest girl waving the sonic over her immobile body.    Anger and disgust were clear on his face as he check the readings.

      "She's alive." He said in relief.   "Just paralyzed.  I think it should be reversible though."

      "How?"

      The Doctor glanced around, "He'll have to have an antidote." 

       He ran back towards the laboratory and they heard him rummaging around for a few minutes.   At last the Doctor returned with a syringe of vivid green liquid.  Clara shuddered at the sight of the long silver needle.   She hated the things and couldn't watch as he jabbed it into the vein in the girl's arm.  

      The affect was instantaneous.   The petite Asian woman's knees buckled and she feel forward coughing.   The Doctor caught her, easing her to the floor.   Murasaki blinked up at him terrified.

      "What happened? Where am I?"

      "It's okay, you're going to be okay." He said softly.  

      Sarah Jane and Clara took over helping the girl regain her faculties, while the Doctor and Reese moved on to the next victim.   Soon all the young women were revived.   Confused and shaky they at least understood they were being rescued, though they probably didn't know from what.

      Without warning the door behind Clara burst open, banging off the wall.  The girls screamed.  John, the man who attacked Vicky, stood framed in the doorway seething with rage.   Realizing his precious artworks were being taken away he charged forward bellowing, eye's wild.   Before anyone could move Reese shot him in the leg, dropping the man like a stone.   Cursing in pain John clutched at his wounded limb. 

      The officer none to gently pulled the man into a sitting position and slapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists.  "You're coming with me, mate."    

      The Doctor searched the man's pockets producing the metallic device he'd used to open the portal before.   Dropping it to the floor the Doctor crushed it with the heel of his boot. 

      "No more surprise trips to Earth." He glowered.

      Shuffling the shell shocked girls and dragging John they made it back to the wormhole, which was still open in the laboratory.   Ushering them through they found themselves once more on the cold streets of Adamsborough.   Luke, Clyde, and Rani rushed to see if they were alright.   The teens looked shocked at the sight of the bleeding, handcuffed alien.   Using the sonic the Doctor forced the wormhole closed, for good this time. 

      "Now what are we supposed to do?" Reese asked glancing from his prisoner to the shivering girls.

      "Well," said Clara thoughtfully, "You have your bad guy and witnesses to his crimes.   And a journalist to write about their gallant rescue."

      Sarah Jane smiled, "Who can also help fill in those pesky details of what 'really' happened here."

      The Doctor laughed wrapping an arm around his fiancé's shoulders, "And we'll just be two suspects who mysteriously vanished during a fire alarm."

      Reese sighed dramatically, "Yep I definitely preferred the days when all I dealt with was vandalism."  Still dragging the moaning John, he rounded up the girls and led them back towards the police station calling it in on his radio. 

      After that it was a brief round of goodbyes before Sarah Jane left to help deal with the aftermath and the Doctor and Clara disappeared. 

      "I expect an invitation to the wedding." Sarah Jane warned. 

      "Of course." Agreed the Doctor lifting her off her feet in a tight hug.  "I'll see you again soon."

      She then pulled Clara into a warm embrace.  "I'm so glad his found someone like you." Sarah Jane whispered in her ear.  "Take care of him."

      "I will." She promised.   

      "It was great seeing you again!" Luke said shaking the Doctor's hand.  Rani and Clyde nodded enthusiastically. 

      "Until next time." He grinned at the teens. 

      "Until next time." Echoed Sarah Jane.

***

      The moment the TARDIS doors closed behind them Clara was in the Doctor's arms pressing her face into his shirt.   Shoulders heaving, Clara wasn't even sure why she was crying.   It felt like she'd lost control of every emotion. 

                "Hey, hey it's okay." He whispered sounding a bit alarmed.  "It's been a long day and you're tired."

      "I'm sorry." She mumbled regaining control of herself.

      Gently the Doctor titled her chin up forcing Clara to look at him.   "Darling, tears are human nature.  Never be sorry for being human."  He kissed her sweetly.  "Now how about I make us dinner then we get some rest."

      Clara smiled grateful that he always seemed to know what she needed.  Dinner turned out to be whatever the Doctor could throw together in under two minutes.   They ate quickly, then collapsed into bed equally exhausted.  Clara was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

      _It was very cold.  She spun around straining to see through the gloom.  Something was moving in the shadows, something she couldn't quite see._

_"Whose there?" Clara called._

_No response. Fear gripped her heart.  She took a step backwards and felt a sharp pain.  Glass, the dark floor was littered in shards of glass.  Blood pooled from the cuts in her bare feet.  There was no way out._

_Then Clara was in the backseat of a car.  They were passing over a bridge.   She screamed as it careened out of control slamming into the barrier.  Her body was weightless as they plunged towards the icy waters below._

      "Clara! Clara wake up!"

                The Doctor shook her awake, panic in his voice.   Someone was screaming.   Clara abruptly stopped when she realized it was her.   Out of breath and eyes wild she clung onto him, her whole body trembling.   The Doctor cradled her, peppering Clara's face with kisses.  

      "It was just a nightmare.  You're safe now." He said at last, stroking her hair.

      "There was glass… I don't - I don't remember."  

      The details were slipping away, fading in the light of reality.   Yet her heart was still pounding.  Clara crushed her lips to the Doctor's, knowing what she needed.  He understood and gave her everything he had. 

 

 


	11. Rings and In-Laws

**~Rings and In-Laws~**

 

                                The little blue box was resting on her pillow when Clara opened her eyes.   A slow smile split her face once she realized what she was looking at.   It was a ring box.  She traced her fingers over the soft velvet.   Of course it would be a little and blue, what else?

                "You do know there's something inside right?" teased the Doctor.

                "Don't ruin my moment you odious man."

                "Well if that's how you feel…"

                 He growled seizing Clara around the waist and pulled her flush against him.   She shrieked snatching up a pillow to use as a weapon.  Her escape was impeded somewhat by that fact that she couldn't stop laughing.   They ended up tangled in the bed sheets.   The Doctor pinned her to the mattress, arms above her head.   Clara mock-glared at him, secretly quite happy with her new situation. 

                "You're very distracting." She pouted. 

                "I have a reputation to live up to."  The Doctor said.  

                After a swift kiss he released her.   Clara nestled into his embrace, back resting against the Doctor's chest.   She could tell he was impatient to see her reaction as she opened the box reverently.     Hopefully her speechless tears were reaction enough.

                The ring was perfect.   A silver band inlayed with royal blue sapphires and little diamonds in a spiral.  Simple and elegant and so _her_.   She was about to slip it on her finger when the light caught the engraving inside.   It was the same Circular Gallifreyan that decorated the TARDIS console.  The language only her fiancé still understood. 

                "What does it say?" she asked running her fingertip over the complex symbols. 

                "In the simplest terms it says, 'Always and Forever', but it means a lot more than that.  The exact nuance is a little hard to translate.    For a Time Lord it's a promise; a promise to love someone for all time and through every regeneration." The Doctor explained turning a little pink.  "I can't really describe the depth of that statement in a human language." 

                "It's beautiful." Clara breathed.   There were no words to describe what she was feeling at that moment.  Nothing which could convey her love for him.   Every time the Doctor expressed the intensity of his affections Clara was struck again by how unbelievable her life was.  How her life would be 'Always and Forever'.

***

                "We can't put this off any longer."

                Hands on hips, Clara glared down from the upper level of the console.  The Doctor had been avoiding her all morning claiming the TARDIS needed repairs.  Of course, when she asked why he didn't answer and fled the room. 

                The Doctor lifted his welding goggles and stuck his head out from behind a metal panel.   Spanner in one hand, sonic between his teeth, and a bunch of electrical wires coiled around his neck.   He looked more prepared to wield damage than repair it.  

                Removing the sonic he said, "It’s a time machine we can put off anything we like!"

                "You have to meet my father." Clara said firmly.  "We're getting married, I have to tell him." 

                The Doctor sighed in defeat, turning faintly green.  "I don't know how to do the whole family thing.   And how could he ever except me as a son-in-law? I'm _way_ too old for you and a different species…"  He looked utterly terrified.

                She frowned, "I'm not saying this will be the easiest conversation ever, but he raised me and I got over all that pretty quickly.  Give the man some credit.  My father will love you."  Clara left off the silent 'hopefully'.  

                Henry Oswald wasn't a hard man by any means, that had been his wife, Marie.  Though Clara had loved her mother dearly, she had no disillusions about how the woman would have reacted to the Doctor.   If she took issue with foreigners, aliens would have been a disaster.   Henry never got involved in politics.  He was more apt to judge a man on his work than his station.  That or his opinion on horticulture.  Clara's father was obsessed with gardening.

                "Please," she said softly, "Do this for me."

                "Alright." the Doctor agreed. 

                Clara decided it would be best to switch back into Victorian garb.  She may have become accustomed over the last few months to the clothing and technologies of the future, but it would dearly shock her poor father if she arrived home in trousers. 

                "How did I ever wear these things?" she cried struggling to lace up her corset.   Getting into her old blue walking gown was proving an ordeal.   Clara had nearly forgotten how to deal with the multitude of constricting layers and nothing seemed to fit properly anymore.  The Doctor tried to help, but mostly just flailed his hands around unsure what to do.  It was cute.

                "If you think this is bad you should have seen the official robes of the Time Lords." he remarked.   "I always felt like I was going to get stuck going through doorways and had to spin in circles just to look behind me."

                "Please tell me you have a picture of that."  Clara smiled while adjusting the fall of her bustle. 

                He grimaced, "Unfortunately."

                Once properly attired she focused her attentions on the Doctor.  He was wearing a plaid suit with his bow tie and a bowler hat.   It brought back memories of when they first met, the man he used to be.  Clara never wanted to see the Doctor so broken again.   Sometimes she saw flashes of that pain in his eyes when he thought she wasn't looking.   But Clara always brought him back with a word or caress.   She brought the Doctor back from the darker parts of his mind.

      Taking his hand she led them out of the wardrobe and down to the console room.  He set about flipping switches and pushing buttons.  Clara's father lived in the country and never went into town if he could help it.   He hated London and everything to do with the city.   The TARDIS materialized, engines groaning, on the edge of a narrow country lane.   A wave of homesickness overtook her when Clara saw the cottage in the distance. 

                Ivy and wisteria covered most of the exterior.  Little hedgerows led up the gravel path to the purple front door.  There wasn't an inch of the grounds that wasn't filled with some flowering shrub or other.   Clara could just make out the natural pond behind the house where she'd played as a child.  It was exactly how she remembered yet everything looked different now.  The parts of her life which seemed common before had become strange. 

      The Doctor put an arm around her shoulders, "Ready?"

      "Not remotely." she said, "Let's go." 

      The walk up the front path felt like the longest in her life.   Clara's heart was pounding so hard she thought the Doctor would hear it.   In fact, by the concerned glance he gave her, Clara was sure he could.   Squeezing her hand the Doctor knocked on the front door. 

      "Hold on, I'm coming!" shouted a man's voice from inside. 

      After a minute the door swung open to reveal a middle aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and glasses.   He wore a slightly rumbled gray suit and a surprised expression.  Upon seeing his daughter Henry Oswald's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. 

      "Clara!  On my word, what are you doing here child?  I wasn't expecting you for another month at least.  Are you alright?"  the man stopped rambling when he finally noticed the Doctor.  

      "Ummm… Hello." the Doctor choked out.  Cool demeanor gone he seemed incapably of saying anything else. 

      Clara gave her father a tight hug; she hadn't realized how much she missed him.  Unable to think of anything better, she decided to get the worst over with.  Taking a deep, steadying breath she said, "Papa, I'd like you to meet the Doctor, my fiancé."

        Henry's eyes moved from the silver ring on her left hand to the terrified man standing next to her.   "Nice to meet you." he said, shaking the Doctor's hand on instinct. With an overwhelmed smile he stood back to let them inside.

      The parlor was much like the rest of the house, crowded and cozy.  Everything was old, yet well kept.  Books on plants littered the end tables resting on top of her mother's lace dollies and framed, dried specimens hung on the walls.   Clara and the Doctor sat down on the sofa facing Henry in his favorite plush chair.  An uncomfortable silence descended.

      "I guess we have a few things to discuss." Henry said at last.  "For instance when did you meet?  Clara never mentioned you before."

      Clara and the Doctor exchanged a glance and a nod.  No matter how this played out they were in it together. 

      "That's where things start to get a bit complicated, papa." she said slowly.  "Do you remember the Ripper murders?"

      "Remember?  He butchered another girl just last week!  They found her in Dutfield's Yard."

      Oh right, Clara thought, here less than a week had passed since she'd left with the Doctor.   Those horrible events felt so long ago.  "Yes, well you see there were some things which didn't make it into the papers…."

      They gave Henry the abridged and obviously highly censored version of the last few months of their lives.   Clara was carefully to make it sound as though they lived separately on the TARDIS, explaining that it was unimaginably large.   This was going to be a lot to swallow without him thinking his daughter and been corrupted (weather it was true or not).   

      "…And then he proposed."

      "And she accepted." the Doctor finished with a smile only for Clara. 

      The three of them again fell into silence.   The Doctor didn't appear to be breathing and she couldn't stop wringing her hands.  They waited for Henry to say something.  He was staring at a point on the floor, a crease between his eyebrows.  The same position he'd been in throughout their narrative. 

      "So you're an extraterrestrial." he said finally.  Slowly Henry faced them and he didn't look happy.

      "Correct." 

      The Doctor looked ready to jump over the back of the sofa and run for it.  Clara had never seen him so wide eyed before.   This wasn't going very well.   She grasped his hand tightly not caring about Victorian propriety.   At this Henry jumped to his feet.

      "Clara I need to speak with you privately."

      "But papa-"

      "Now daughter."

      He marched out of the room towards the back door making it clear she was to follow him.   Sighing Clara got up.  The Doctor caught her wrist his face a mask of concern.  He was afraid for her, which was sweet if totally pointless.

      "It will be fine.  I'll sort him out, you'll see." Clara said kissing his cheek.

      Her father was waiting in the back garden, pacing at the edge of the pond.  Usually only aphids in the roses got him this worked up.   Turning to her, his face mirrored the Doctor's.   Full of worry and concern for her.   They were both being overprotective. 

      "Child what are you thinking?  You cannot be thinking of marring that _thing_!"

      "He is not a thing!  He's a Time Lord and yes I'm going to marry him!" Clara cried outraged.

      "But why?" Henry implored.  Her father seemed genuinely lost. 

      "Because I love him."

                Whatever he father had been expecting it wasn't that.   His face went blank, glancing from his daughter and back to the house.   Clara watched in confusion as the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.  "You do?"

      "Yes."  She didn't know how to make this clearer, "And the Doctor loves me too."   Clara grasped her father's hands willing him to understand.  "He makes me happy, he's my whole world, and he needs me more than anything.  Don't you want that for me papa?"

                Henry hugged her tight, a smile lighting up his features.  "You really do love him.  Yes, of course I want you to be happy.  I'm sorry, child.  This is just going to take some getting used to." He sighed, "I guess I should go and try to make a better first impression on my future son-in-law."


	12. That Which We Dream For

**~That Which We Dream For~**

      Even with his advanced hearing the Doctor couldn't tell what was going on outside.   Was he yelling at her?  What if Clara needed him?  This time period wasn't known for its kindness towards women, especially women who lived unmarried with a man.   And humans weren't known to react well to surprises and things they believed immoral.   

      At that thought the Doctor's long fingers gripped the arms of the chair so hard his knuckles turned white.  What if he hurt her?  Or threw her out, which would equally destroy Clara.  Springing to his feet the Doctor debated whether to go after them.  He paced back and forth on the floral patterned carpet, spinning his bowler hat nervously.  His presence might only make things worse.  This had been a horrible idea, but he couldn't say no to Clara.   The Doctor could never say no to his Clara. 

      The back door opened. 

      "I'll make us some tea." He heard Clara say.  She sounded happy, that was a good sign. 

      Henry entered to room.  Without pause he marched up to the Doctor, pulling back his arm.  Seeing what was coming the Doctor made no attempt to defend himself. 

      _Crack!_

      Henry's fist collided with his chin.  He staggered backwards knocking into the sofa. 

      "Now we can talk." Henry said calmly.

      "Oh my god!" kettle in hand Clara dashed into the room. 

      The Doctor waved her off gently, rubbing his jaw.  "It's fine dear.  We're just having a friendly little chat." 

      Henry looked amused now that that was over.   Feisty as ever Clara seemed ready to spit fireballs at her father.  "You promised!" she hissed, brandishing the kettle like a weapon.

      "That," Henry said, "Was for going behind my back and for basically stealing you.   Go finish making tea Clara.  I swear I won't hit him again."

      With a weak grin the Doctor gave her a small thumbs up indicating that it would be fine.  She still looked murderous, particularly at being ordered around.  Shooting him one last worried glance Clara marched out in a huff.  That shocked him more than anything; he'd hate to think what would happen if he tried giving her an order.  Not that the Doctor would.  They could hear her slamming kitchen cupboards in the other room.

      The Doctor turned to Henry cautiously.  The punch hadn't really hurt; few humans could wield the amount of force necessary to actually damage him.  But his jaw did sting.  The Doctor also knew he deserved it.  No amount a punishment could make up for the fate he'd condemned Clara too by falling for her.   The Doctor destroyed everything he touched and the universe was far too cruel to make an exception for Clara. 

       Her father no longer looked angry, well maybe a bit, just unsure.  Bewildered might also be a good description.  They stared at each other awkwardly. 

      "So," began Henry sitting on the edge of his chair.  He was floundering, "A Time Lord?"

      Also taking a seat, the Doctor nodded.  Good the basics, he could deal with the basics.  Henry seemed willing to listen.   Clearly he wanted to understand now that the worst was over.

      "You look human."

      "Yes, and you look Time Lord." the Doctor said with a small smile. 

      Henry stared him in the eye, a shrewd expression on his face.  "You're older than you seem." he said, "I could tell my daughter was avoiding saying it."

      "Clara was afraid to upset you, though it would be justified, by telling you my age."  The Doctor's face turned bleak.  If Clara's father was going to try to accept him he wanted the man to fully understand.   Understand what his daughter was giving up to be with him.  "I am 1,149 years old."

      Henry leaned back in his chair absorbing that.  "She's only 24."

      "Age is often considered irrelevant by my people, though to be fair, Time Lords generally don't marry outside the species."

      "Why are you?"

      The Doctor stared at a point on the wall.   This was the topic he'd wanted to avoid, the topic he always wanted to avoid.  "Because they're gone now.  My people die with me." he said quietly. 

      Henry's eyes widened, as so many others did, at the indescribable grief of being the last of your species.   It was unimaginable.  "Dear lord…" he breathed, "How- how could that happen?"

      "War, hatred, arrogance.  The same way it always happens."

      They sat in heavy silence.  The Doctor could hear the grandfather clock in the hall ticking attempting to regulate that which it could never understand.  He could hear Clara cursing at the gas light appliances in the kitchen and the steady heartbeat of the man sitting across from him.  It felt as if the universe was counting down, but to what he didn’t know.  Maybe he didn't want to.

      "Do you love her?" Henry asked softly. 

      The Doctor met his gaze.  "Yes.  I love her more than anything, though I have no right to.  Your daughter deserves so much more than me. 

      I'm not worthy of her and never will be." he continued, voice breaking for the first time, "There are things in my past, sins I can never atone for.   Some days it is more than I can bare just to get up in the morning, to put one foot in front of the other and keep living.   Some days I'd rather die than face what I have done.   But then she's there.  The most beautiful, and selfless, and innocent person I've ever known.  And I realize I have to keep going for her, I have to keep trying to make up for what I've done for her."   

      "You don't have to prove anything to me." 

      Clara stood in the doorway carrying a tray of tea things, her expression stricken.  Hands shaking slightly she set the tray down on the coffee table.   The Doctor caught her hand before she could burn herself pouring the tea.  Gently he pulled her down next to him on the velvet sofa. 

      "I thought I was helping." Clara whispered. 

      Flustered, Henry quickly finished pouring the tea and setting out the plate of little sandwiches Clara made.   This was a conversation he wasn't part of. 

      Angry at himself for upsetting her, the Doctor took Clara's hands in his own.  He never wanted to see Clara sad.  It was his job to make her happy; it was what he lived for.   "Love, you help me every second of every day.  I never smiled, not once, for nearly two decades until the day I met you on the street."

      "You mean when I almost knocked you over?" Clara said the corners of her mouth turning up. 

      "Exactly." 

      She leaned against him in a simple comforting gesture.   They were alright.   The pain which constricted his hearts melted away when Clara looked up at him with her dark, expressive eyes.  Nothing could hurt the Doctor while she was looking at him like that.  Nothing.

      Henry coughed pointedly reminding them he was still in the room.   They laughed breaking any remaining tension.  A happy, slightly astounded expression lit up Henry's face, as he watched their interactions. 

      "So when is the wedding?" he asked, sipping his tea.  

      "We haven't exactly worked that out yet." the Doctor admitted.  "I don't actually know a lot about weddings…"

      "Something simple is fine." Clara assured him.  "Where did Vastra and Jenny get married?  Perhaps they have some ideas."

      "As long as Strax doesn't want to be the minster."

      "I really must properly meet Strax."

      "Don't say I didn't warn you." he quipped.

       Strax probably wouldn't know how to handle Clara.  Between her, Vastra, and Jenny, the Sontaran would be totally outnumbered and the Doctor loved giving him a hard time.   Though talking to the girls was a good idea.   In fact he was sure Vastra was ordained…

      "There's always the garden." Henry said hopefully gesturing out the window, turning faintly pink.

      Clara gasped in delight, "That's perfect, papa!  We could have the wedding here."    She grabbed the Doctor's arm giving him the pleading look she knew he couldn't resist.  His fiancé was very manipulative when she wanted to be. 

      "Sounds good to me." the Doctor said.   It was better than any plan he could have come up with.   The temporally mixed up guest list was still an issue, but that's what a time machine was for.   He might just skip that bit except Sarah Jane would skin him alive.   Clara probably would too. 

      As the afternoon wore on and the tea grew cold, they chatted about everything and nothing.  Henry showed off his latest specimens and revealed himself to be quite the amateur scientist.  The Doctor could see where Clara got her intelligence, though she didn't have much interest in plants.

       Clara enthusiastically tried to explain computers to her father, who didn't have the faintest clue what she was talking about.   He just nodded a lot.  It was hard to keep a straight face.  Everything to do with electronics fascinated Clara and she'd been teaching herself how they worked.  There was a pile of how-to books on her bedside table and the Doctor had fun helping her with them.

      Eventually the sun set signaling it was time for them to leave.  Henry saw them off with many hugs and assurances that they could visit anytime.   After stepping out of his daughter's embrace he shook the Doctor's hand firmly.

      "Take care of her… son."

      He blinked, completely thrown by the sentiment.  It meant family, something the Doctor hadn't had in a very long time.  "I promise."

      For one shining moment, standing beside Clara and Henry, the Doctor could see a future he never dared to dream for, not after Gallifrey.   A family.  _His family_.   The Doctor could see it there just beyond reach.  Clara, his beautiful wife and standing beside her a child with his eyes.  And he wanted it so badly it hurt.       

 

 

 


	13. Down the Rabbit Hole

**~Down the Rabbit Hole~**

 

      "How should I know?" the Doctor cried exasperated.  "How many shades of blue can there be?  No don't answer that!"

      Clara pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter.   They were in the middle of a conference call with their friends in Victorian London.   Strax and Jenny were vying for control of wedding planning, while Vastra remained her usual calm self.  Strax seem to think his skills as a military expert qualified him for the job and Jenny had actually proven herself to be a talented designer.  They were in good hands.

       The Doctor hadn't realized there was so much involved in a wedding and was currently at his wits end.   Colors, flowers, cake, it was more than he could handle.  Everyone else had anticipated this reaction and decided to rescue Clara from planning the event single handed.   She was grateful for the help, because the Doctor couldn't tell the difference between cream and eggshell and was completely useless.   Clara let him think he was helping out of pity. 

      Most of the details had been squared away pretty quickly, because both the Doctor and Clara agreed they wanted a small, simple wedding.   And with the venue taken care of, it wasn't the disaster it could have been.  They were presently working on the finishing touches on the invitations then they'd finally be done.   Strax and Jenny were in a debate over the font color; Prussian Blue or Navy.   Honestly Clara couldn't care less, yet she and Vastra had a running bet on how long before the Doctor exploded.  From the man's current expression Clara was going to win.

      The moment they hung up the Doctor collapsed onto the couch with a melodramatic sigh.  "An invasion of Cybermen would be easier to deal with than this!"

      Clara finally let out the laugh she'd been holding in.  He was so impatient.  "Well, now that it's over why don't we have some fun?"

      "Oh! We could go see the ice gardens of Gastrafor Six or Space Florida!"

                Grinning at his enthusiasm, Clara climbed onto the sofa to straddle his hips.  "Not exactly what I had in mind, but maybe later." she said running her fingers through his hair.

                "Later's good…" he muttered catching on. 

                The Doctor stared up at her with an awestruck expression, as he brushed her cheek with his fingertips.   It was the same look he kept turning on her ever since they left her father's house.  Clara wasn't sure what he was thinking, but she liked it.  It made her feel beautiful. 

                She pressed her lips to his.  They crashed together, magnetic.  Two parts of whole that needed to be completed.  She shivered as the Doctor's hands slid up her thighs lifting the fabric of her dress.  His touch and the heat between them made Clara dizzy.  

                 She giggled as his fingers fumbled with the zipper of her dress.  Hopeless as ever.  Pulling his hands away Clara slipped off the offending garment.  

                "Aren't you glad I stopped wearing corsets?  If you can't handle zippers I don't think you'd ever get me out of one of those."

                The Doctor laughed.  Sealing her mouth with his, he lowered them down onto the cushions. The rest of the universe could wait.

***

                The TARDIS materialized with its characteristic _vorp_ noise in the middle of a cobblestone courtyard shattering the silence.   Clara stepped out taking in her surroundings.  They'd landed alongside a white gazebo which overlooked an expansive garden.  So expansive, in fact, that Clara couldn't see where it ended.   A hedge rose in the distance forming the entrance to a great maze.   She'd always wanted to visit a labyrinth.

                "Welcome to Topneka!" the Doctor said, waving his arms about.  "A vacation planet once considered to be one of the 20 wonders of this galaxy." 

                "Why isn't it still?  It's beautiful!" Clara said.   The place looked straight out of a fairytale or the Disney movies she'd recently discovered.  If an elf or a unicorn walked by it wouldn't surprise her in the least. 

                The Doctor shrugged frowning slightly, "No clue.  History just seems to forget about it."

                "Is the whole place like this?"

                He nodded, "The planet is actually very small and owned by one royal family.  The Lendings have ruled the next planet over for centuries.  They're the ones who decided to turn this place into a giant public garden."

                "Good choice."

                Wandering over to the nearest flowerbed Clara was enchanted by the unfamiliar plants.  Her father would be ecstatic. Their heady scent mixed with the cool breeze which played across her skin.   One particular blossom caught her eye.   The petals were deep purple, almost black, and the shape of the delicate buds reminded Clara of stars.   It smelled like honey.  

                "I was thinking we could have a picnic." The Doctor said hopefully, bouncing on the balls of his feet.   It was amazing how small things like picnics could make him so excited.   He acted like a child sometimes, but it was one of the reasons Clara loved him.   Whenever the Doctor turned his big foolish grin on her she couldn't help but grin back. 

                "That sounds wonderful." Clara smiled, wrapping her arms around the Doctor's waist and leaning into him. 

                "Now don't start that again, Love, or we'll never get to eat."  He chuckled, turning red.

                "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about." She said archly. 

                The Doctor rolled his eyes, "In that case I'll be right back."

                He disappeared into the TARDIS leaving Clara to explore.   Drifting around the edges of the courtyard she started to feel uncomfortable.  Something was off.   Clara glanced around but all she could see were beautiful flowers and trees.   Nothing to raise the hairs on the back of her neck.  Except the feeling didn't go away.

                Clara nearly jumped out of her skin when the TARDIS door creaked open.  She whirled around only to find the Doctor holding an honest-to-god picnic basket.  Wicker complete with red and white checked linen.  She let out a shaky breath. 

                "You don't do things by halves, do you?" Clara remarked.

                "It was in the kitchen when I got there."

                He laid out a blanket for them and started setting out the food.                Kicking off her sandals Clara sat down next to him.  The Doctor handed her a plate of cucumber sandwiches, pasta salad, and Jammy Dodgers.   Odd combination but he tended to be a pretty wild cook, so Clara counted herself lucky.  She raised her eyebrows at the beverage though.

                "Why does that tea have ice in it?"

                The Doctor looked at her like she was slow, "Because it's ice tea."  When Clara continued to look skeptical he sighed.  "Clearly you've never been to America they drink it by the gallon there."

                "Well that's fine for them, they're _Americans_ what can you expect?" she quipped.

                He snickered, pressing the glass into her hand.  "Now I'm definitely taking you there."

                "We should go to the west.  I remember when Buffalo Bills Wild West Show came to London last year or the year before we met anyway.  I didn't get to see it, but it sounded fascinating!"  Clara said. 

                "If I agree will you try the ice tea?"

                "You drive a hard bargain."  She took a sip.  It wasn't bad, truthfully it was fine, but Clara was enjoying messing with the Doctor.    "Deal."

                They were finishing their lunch when the Doctor suddenly held up a finger to silence her.   Brow furrowing he cocked his head listening intently.   Clara couldn't hear anything.  That's when she finally realized what had been bothering her.   There was no sound besides the wind in the trees.  No buzzing insects, no chirping birds, no people.   Yet the Doctor was listening to something, it must be too far away for her human ears to pickup.

                "Help!"

                This time Clara heard the voice.   It was faint and coming from within the hedge maze.   They jumped to their feet.  Quickly Clara pulled on her sandals and followed the Doctor to the entrance of the maze. 

                "Help me!" cried the voice again from far off. 

                Squeezing her hand the Doctor said, "Braveheart Clara!"

                Setting off at a run they dove into the labyrinth.   The moment they passed through the hedges all sound was deadened, not even the wind got through the dense thorny vines.  Every footfall echoed off the stone path.  Clara shivered pressing closer to the Doctor.  He looked equally uneasy in this new eerie world.   Why couldn't they ever have a normal day?

                "Hello!" she called, "Where are you?"

                The voice didn't respond. Was the person simply beyond hearing range or was something far more sinister preventing them from answering?  Biting her lip nervously, Clara glanced up and down the claustrophobic path.  Each direction faded into darkness.  How were they supposed to find their way back out?   She didn't like this at all; it felt like one of her nightmares.

                "I think it came from this way."  The Doctor muttered, pointing to the left. 

                He walked a little ways down the trail straining to hear something.  Suddenly a rough, discordant noise rent the air making them both jump.  The vines in the hedges came to life.  Untangling and reforming, they swiftly spread across the space separating Clara and the Doctor.   She cried out in alarm running forward, but it was too late.   A dense, impassable wall had formed between them.

                "Clara! Clara can you hear me?" the Doctor yelled in panic, voice muffled.  She could faintly make out the whirling of the sonic screwdriver as he tried to force his way through.

                "Yes!" she yelled back, "What's going on?"

                "The plants seem to be… well…"

                "Well _what_?"  By not wanting to tell her the Doctor had only made Clara more afraid. 

                "Conscious." He concluded. "Whatever you do don't touch them."

                 "I think they have other plans!" she shrieked.  

                Dark green creepers covered in inch long thorns reached out towards her.  Clara stumbled backwards as they grabbed at her ankles.  Distracted she didn't notice the vines coming from the walls alongside her as well.     Barbs pierced deep into her flesh.  Screaming in pain and fear Clara ripped them out.  Blood and a dark poison ran down her arms.   

                "Run!" the Doctor yelled.

                Tripping and stumbling Clara ran as fast as she could fighting off the vines.  Every cut and scratch made her slower as their poison worked into her system.  She was going numb.   There was an intersecting path going left which Clara turned onto.  Hopefully it would lead her back to the Doctor.   

                The moment Clara switch direction the hedges stopped attacking.  They looked like normal plants now.   She blinked trying to shake off the drowsiness which was threatening to overwhelm her. 

                Clara heard the Doctor's voice calling from far off.  

                The hedges were so high they blocked out the sun adding to her disorientation.  Rounding another corner she hit a dead end.   Clara swore the Doctor's shout came from this direction.

                "Where are you?" she cried desperate.   

                There was no response.   Frustrated she turned back and froze in horror.   The path was gone.   The way she'd come from was nothing but a thick wall of vines.   The hedge to Clara's right began to shift with a grating sound.   The thorny vines untangled and pulled apart forming another archway.   The path beyond was pitch black.

                "I hate this planet." Clara muttered in tears before stepping through the only way available.

                Immediately the hedges shut her in.   In absolute panic Clara ran blind praying she wasn't about to crash into another wall. 

                She never got that far. 

 


	14. The Edge at the Bottom of the Pit

**~The Edge at the Bottom of the Pit~**

 

            Clara hit the ground hard, knees slamming into the stone path.  She began to panic.  Thrashing wildly she tried to fight off vines she couldn't see.   Creepers wrapped around her ankles tight, thorns digging in.  Screaming, Clara desperately tried to pull herself forward.  Clawing at the ground uselessly. Fingernails scraping the stones.  Everything was going fuzzy. The vines continued to envelop her, pinning her down.   They ripped her clothing and skin.

                Clara couldn't fight anymore.  Her limbs wouldn't respond.  Even the pain was fading to numbness.  All Clara could feel was the cold ground beneath her and the wetness of blood.  She didn't want to die.  She didn't want to leave the Doctor.  The vines were pulling her backwards, dragging her across the ground.  

                Clara blacked out.

                _She was lying in a field of broken glass.  It was so cold. The shards were stabbing into her skin.  Clara sat up staring out into the endless darkness.  The hammering of her heart was deafening, every breath echoed.  There was something out there, something she couldn't see._

_She was a child running down a hallway.  The Forman's drunken footsteps pounded behind her.  The other girls had warned Clara.  She couldn't let him catch her.  A large hand covered her mouth cutting off her screams._

_"You have to wake up."_

_Clara was in a ship.  Sirens blared as the crew yelled orders.  They were crashing, falling from the sky.  The Captain called for an emergency landing.  She strapped herself in preparing for impact._

_"You have to wake up."_

_She was back in the field of glass.  A young girl stood before her.  The Clara from the photograph. She looked sad and afraid._

_"You can't be here it isn't time.  You have to wake up."_

                _The other Clara grabbed her shoulders and shook her.  The things in the shadows were stirring._

_"WAKE UP!"_

***

                The Doctor could hear her screaming and there was nothing he could do.

                "Run!" he yelled.

                Clara's cries faded as she fled.  The vines reached out towards him.   The hedges were thinking as one, a hive mind.  Except his scans showed they were normal plants, they couldn't do this.  It simply wasn't possible.  A vine touched the Doctor's skin then recoiled as if burned.  Immediately all the thorn covered creepers shrank back.  The plants wouldn't come near him.

                He'd figure out what that meant later.  The Doctor had to find Clara.   Taking off down the narrow pathway he searched for a right turn.   The maze had to intersect somewhere, there had to be a path leading to her. 

                "Clara!" he yelled. 

                The Doctor heard her faint response.  He was tempted to start ripping apart the hedges with his bare hands.  This was his fault, he'd brought them here.  Growling in frustration the Doctor waved the sonic around.  Why didn't he have a weed-whacker setting?  The vines moved back and forth as if they were watching him.  Yet they still made no attempt to touch him again. 

                Finally the Doctor found a right turn.   Racing through the maze he kept shouting for Clara, but heard nothing in response.   He couldn't let himself think about what that could mean.   He knew what would happen if he lost Clara.   It would be the end of him.  

                The walls began to shift around the Doctor.   The path changed completely.  Everything going right was gone.

                "No! No! No!"

                He spun in circles.   There was nothing but darkness at the end of each path.  No sign of Clara.   The Doctor's hearts almost stopped when a figure appeared.  A man stood silhouetted in one of the newly formed archways.  One second he wasn't there, the next he was.  The man stepped forward into the small amount of light the maze afforded them. 

                The sinews in his arms stood out under pale green skin.  His clothes were rough, heavy, and ill fitting and he carried a knobby walking stick.   The image of a nomadic traveler incongruous with the setting.   His hair was thick and rope-like and the color of pine needles.  The Doctor didn't know what he was, meaning his species was either very rare or very quiet. 

                "Come with me." he intoned in a rough voice.     

                The Doctor didn't blink or move at all.  "Where is she?"

                "I know where the girl is.  You must come with me."

                Without any better options the Doctor nodded. The green man motioned for him to follow then turned and disappeared down the path.   The Doctor hurried to catch up.  He wasn't so quick to trust anymore, he'd grown too old for that.  But if this man could help him find Clara, the Doctor was willing to take that risk.

                "Who are you?" he asked as they raced deeper into the labyrinth.

                "Helix."

                Helix didn't elaborate.  He seemed excited and impatient, eyes darting back and forth.  Never questioning a turn, he knew exactly where they were going.  In a maze that changed shape it was more than a little suspicious.  The vines wouldn't attack Helix either.

                The plants continued to writhe and twist, but never went for them.  The Doctor watched the long thorns still listening to Clara's screams echoing in his ears.  She was so soft, so fragile, and so human.  He forced his mind blank.  Panic wouldn't help her.  Fear wouldn't help her.

                They turned a corner which opened into a small circular space devoid of hedges.  In the center was a hole in the ground with a spiral staircase leading down.   There was a faint glow of artificial lights at the bottom. 

                "This is The Pit." said Helix.

                " _'The Pit'_? Seems a bit underwhelming." said the Doctor. "I'd of gone with The Mysterious Hollow or The Terrible Trench, but that's just me." 

                Helix stared at him in confusion for a moment, before leading the way down the stairs.  The Doctor followed using his sonic as a torch.   The green light made the damp, dirty passage even more disturbing.   It smelled like a crypt.  The dank, musk coated his throat making the Doctor cough.  The air was stale as if no one had breathed it in a long time.  Except he could hear something below. 

                The stairs opened out into a large underground chamber.   Roots grew through the tiles in the ceiling and the walls.   Dirt covered every surface and a section of the room was hidden behind a row of shelving.   A metal door he hadn't noticed slammed shut behind him.   The lock clicked echoing off as if the very noise was mocking the Doctor's stupidity.  He knew this was a trap and yet he'd walked right into it. 

                Helix smiled, "You're going to help me."

                "Where is Clara?" he demanded.

                "I sensed your intelligence," Helix ignored the Doctor. "You are unlike any creature who has come before.  Alive you could find a way for me to grow, to survive. There is nothing left on this world."

                "So you're the puppet-master." he said, emotionless.  "What is it, a telepathic field matrix?  Lets you control all the vegetation on a planet sized garden?  But what did you do with all the people?"

                The Doctor didn't miss the way Helix said 'alive'.  There was a fine line between madness and reason, an edge he could be pushed to.   There was a reason so many people feared him and that's what happened when the Doctor got angry.  Now he was angry.  

                Helix cocked his head as if he couldn't comprehend the Doctor's reaction.

                 "I ran out." he explained.   The green man walked around the shelving waving his arms like a he was giving a tour.   "I collected all I could but they could not sustain me forever."

                The Doctor followed him then stopped dead.   His nightmares had become reality.   Clara lay on a stone table vines wrapped around her wrists and ankles.  She was bone white.  The only color on her was blood from the lacerations covering her body.  He couldn't hear her heartbeat. 

                "She had more life force than others of her kind." Helix said.

                He snapped.

                Screaming in Gallifreyan the Doctor picked up the man by the throat and slammed him into the wall.  Tiles cracked on impact.  Holding Helix off the ground he stared at him, eyes blank, slowly squeezing off his airway.   There was nothing left in the Doctor's mind, only this. 

                "Doctor?"

                It was so faint he almost didn't hear it, the most beautiful sound in the universe.  Clara's voice.   Without thought the Doctor dropped Helix.   The creature hit the floor unconscious.  He rushed to her side unable to believe she was still alive.   Clara's muddled eyes focused on the Doctor and she smiled as if nothing made her happier.   It made him want to cry, but he smiled back.

                "Clara, Love, can you hear me?"  Hating himself for putting the woman he loved through this he removed the thorny vines holding her down.  The Doctor wanted to hold her, to kiss her, but he was afraid of hurting her further. 

                "I can't - I can't move." Clara whispered.

                  He could see the panic setting in.  Carefully the Doctor smoothed back her hair and stroked her cheek.  "It's ok.  You're going to be ok." 

                Clara nodded with childlike trust already drifting back to sleep.  As her eyes closed he brushed his lips softly against hers.   The corners of her mouth turned up and she slipped under again.   Gently as he could, the Doctor gathered up Clara's small body in his arms.  

                He aimed the sonic at the metal door and it swung open easily.  Helix obviously hadn't counted on that.  The Doctor turned back to glance at his limp body one last time before sealing the door behind him.  The man might find a way out, but he doubted it. 

                Reaching the top of the stairs he found the maze had collapsed.   Hedges toppled over or disintegrated into a mess of now lifeless vines.  Apparently nothing functioned without Helix.   The Doctor could see the TARDIS in the distance.  Cradling Clara to him he climbed through the thicket. 

                Once the Doctor reached the ship he rushed her down the medical bay.   The puncture wounds and cuts were simple but the blood loss and the drugs in Clara's system were another matter.   Only time, bed rest, and a lot of tea could help with those.   Her eyes fluttered open briefly as the Doctor carried her to their bed.      

                "Are we home?" she asked softly. 

                "Yeah we're home."

 

 

 


	15. I Do, Now and Forever

**~I Do, Now and Forever~**

 

                Swaths of cream silk pooled on the floor, draping off the edge of Clara's chair.   She was in her old bedroom at her father's house, listening to the music and voices in the back garden.  Jenny heated the curling tongs while carefully pining up her dark tresses.   She twisted them into an elegant bun braided with pearls.   Leaving a few artful strands framing her face, curled in delicate spirals.   For a woman so well versed in the art of combat Jenny was a proficient stylist.  

                Clara glanced at herself in the mirror and was struck again by the sheer enormity of it all.  She was getting married today.   It was strange how it took actually seeing herself in her wedding dress for that realization to sink in.    The gown was a gift from the TARDIS, as well as the secret dressing room it was kept in.  Clara suspected the ship had known this would happen all along.  

                Even Vastra couldn't mask her appreciation for the dress; it was a thing of genius.   A compilation of old and new reflecting Clara perfectly.   The bodice, embroidered in pearls, accented her curves and the skirt of soft silk was full and loose allowing Clara to dance.    A lace collar circled her throat resting on scandalously bare shoulders.  Her father was going to have a heart attack.

                "You look lovely." Vastra said, smiling at her in the mirror.

                "All thanks to your wife." 

                "I can't take all the credit, dear."  Jenny pinned in the veil then checked over her work with a satisfied nod.  "Finished." 

                Clara turned around to face her friends.  Biting her lip she said, "Is it ok to admit I'm a little nervous?"

                Vastra and Jenny exchanged knowing glances.  "What are you nervous about?"

                "I don’t know.  Tripping, forgetting my vows, getting sick… again."

                Jenny patted her cheek, "'oney, once you see 'em on the other end of that aisle everything will be fine."

                "Speaking of, we best get out there if I'm going to perform this ceremony." Vastra said, "You needn't worry Miss Clara."

                Vastra and Jenny slipped out of the room heading down to the garden.  After a few minutes there was a knock at the door and Strax poked his head in.   

                "Human bride, it is time for your strategic entrance."

                Clara took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach.  "Ok.  I'm ready." 

                Henry met her at the bottom of the stairs. "Daughter you look … He is a lucky man." he beamed eyes watering.

                Clara laughed, "Don't start crying papa or I will too."

                He hugged her careful of the dress and kissed her forehead.  They linked arms waiting for the entrance music.   Clara squeezed her father's hand when they heard their cue.   Henry pushed open the doors.

                Stepping outside Clara's eyes scanned the small crowd of guests until they found the Doctor.   He looked adorable in his tux and bowtie standing under the archway next to Vastra.   A wide brilliant smile lit up the Doctor's face when Clara appeared.   Jenny was right.   Everything was going to be fine.  It didn't matter what the future held.  They would be together and she would be his wife.  

                The guests all stood to watch as Clara walked down the aisle lined with white roses.   Keeping in time with the slow march was difficult when she just wanted to run to him.  Eventually she reached the altar.  Kissing her one last time Henry took Clara's hand and placed it in the Doctor's, then stepped back. 

                "Hey." he whispered awestruck.

                Clara grinned back equally overwhelmed, "Hey."

                Vastra stepped forward, "Dear friends, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of this Time Lord and this Human in marriage.  Their love of one another has defied the laws of time and space, and now they shall live their lives together as husband and wife.

                Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.   Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.   Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other.  Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.   May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years, May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth."  

                Vastra placed the rings into Clara and the Doctor's hands. 

                The Doctor spoke first, "A thousand years of time and space was all leading me to you.   Every life I have lived, every place I have visited it was all so I could find you, Clara Oswald.   With this ring I give myself to you wholly and vow to love you for the rest of my life.   As your husband I promise to make our life one of happiness.   Because you are my light in the dark."     He carefully slipped the silver band onto her finger.

                "My Doctor, you have shown me the stars and the mysteries of the universe.   You have opened my eyes to wonders beyond imagination, yet none of that compares to my love for you.   With this ring I vow to be with you always and forever more.   As your wife I promise our life together will be one of love and joy.   For you are my hope and my strength."  Blinking through tears, Clara placed the matching ring on the Doctor's finger. 

                "I now pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss the bride."

                As their lips met the crowd broke into applause.   The kiss was sweet and heartfelt and far too short in Clara's opinion.   They broke apart both grinning like fools.

                "I love you."

                "I love you too."

                The reception was setup beside the pond.  Tables and chairs were placed around a layout dance floor, which had also come from the TARDIS.   Clara wasn't sure why the ship need one since it already had a ballroom (or two).  

                "So husband are you going to introduce me to your friends?" she teased, enjoying his reaction to the word 'husband'.  

                 The Doctor had spent the day picking up people in the TARDIS, while she got ready.   It had been an interesting ordeal to arrange.   He led her over to a group chatting by the refreshment table.   Some of them Clara already knew.

                "I see you finally got to visit the Victorian period." she said, "I'm so glad you could come."

                Rani laughed.   Sarah Jane, Luke, and Clyde all hugged and congratulated the couple.  The Doctor introduced Clara to the rest of the group. 

                "Martha and Mickey Smith, defenders of the Earth, this is my wife Clara."

                The pretty dark-skinned woman smiled, "You must be one hell of a girl to get him to settle down.  I never would have believed it."

                "Why does everyone keep saying that? You make me sound like some sort of rake."

                "If only," said a handsome man with an American accent, "Then I might have had a chance."   

                Everyone laughed as the Doctor turned red.  

                "Though my real loss is you." The man turned to Clara and kissed her hand.  "Harkness, Captain Jack Harkness."

                Clara couldn't help but be charmed by his overt flattery.  She curtsied impressing the group with her Victorian etiquette.  "Ahh I've been warned about you Captain."

                "Don't worry, it's all true."

                "We work with him.  Worry: it is." Mickey said.

                "At Torchwood?" Clara asked, trying to remember how everyone was interrelated outside the Doctor.

                "We're liaisons between UNIT and Torchwood." Martha explained. 

                After talking for a few more minutes it was time for Clara and the Doctor to take their first dance as husband and wife.   They stepped out onto the floor both feeling the eyes of everyone watching.   Then the Doctor put his arms around her and Clara forgot everyone else.  

                The song selection was Clara's surprise.   _A Thousand Years_ started and the Doctor smiled in understanding.  They swayed to the music lost in their own happiness.  Other couples joined them, dancing and talking. 

                Most of the afternoon was a blur of congratulations, cake, and stolen kisses.   Clara was talking with her friend Lena when she noticed the Doctor sitting at a far table with an older gentleman.   They hadn't been introduced yet and she was curious so Clara excused herself.   Her new husband looked up as she wandered over.   He pulled out the chair next to him and Clara realized he was crying. 

                "What is it? What's wrong." she asked concerned.

                "Nothing's wrong, Love." the Doctor reassured.  "Clara this is Wilfred Mott, he was just giving me some good news."

                Donna's grandfather.  The man who was there for the Doctor the last time he died.  She had wanted to meet him but didn't think she'd ever get the chance.  Her husband could hardly speak about anything related to Donna. 

                "It is an honor." Wilf said, "I've always wanted to know he was happy.  Now I do."

                Clara threw her arms around him, shocking both men.  "It's an honor to meet you too." she said. "What is the good news?"

                "Donna had her second child, she's happy." the Doctor smiled. "She's really happy."  

                Clara knew what that meant to him.  He feared he'd ruined her life when he was forced to wipe Donna's mind.   If she was ok maybe the Doctor could begin to forgive himself.   It was a day of new beginnings. 

***

                The TARDIS doors swung closed after dropping off the last guest to their appropriate time period.   Clara stood by the console.  Her dress was like moonlight in the blue glow of the room.   Finally they were alone.  She unclasped her lace collar and unpinned her hair letting it fall loose over her shoulders, pretending not to notice the Doctor watching.    

                "Are you just going to stand there or what?" Clara teased making him flush.   

                The Doctor didn't need much encouragement it was their wedding night after all.   He slowly unzipped her bodice, trailing kisses down Clara's spine.   She shivered at more than the cold as the dress fell to the floor.  Clara moaned as he pressed her back against the wall.   Their lips met, everything was electricity and desire.   The Doctor lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist.    

                They never made it to their bedroom.

                 

 


	16. Roman Holiday

**~Roman Holiday~**

 

                The Doctor took her to Rome 2013 in the middle of summer.   They stayed in a fancy hotel and everything; 'playing human' he called it.   For seven days they were just a happy couple on their honeymoon.  Clara knew he was trying to give her something normal, which was sweet if unnecessary.  Watching the Doctor adjust to a week of this so called 'normality' was by far the most entertaining experience.    He put on a good show, but Clara could tell he was just itching to keep moving.    

                They were sitting outside a café in the shade to escape the afternoon heat sipping iced coffees and sharing a soufflé.   Her husband claimed it wasn't as good as hers, though since none of it was burnt, Clara doubted the validity of that statement.   Tourists and locals passed them by absorbed in their own little worlds talking on mobile phones or with groups of friends.   Clara was fascinated where ever they went by the people.   They were so similar and yet so different in every world, in every time.  

                While she watched the natives the Doctor was busy trying to read a map.   He didn't consult one very often choosing instead to simply blunder into any situation which presented itself.  Though ever since Topneka he'd become far more cautious.  She couldn't remember what happened on the garden planet after the vines attacked.   She simply woke up the next morning on the TARDIS with the Doctor's arms around her.   Clara didn't see how much trouble they could get into here, but that didn't dissuade him.   

                "Who drew this thing?  Its complete rubbish." the Doctor said turning the map upside down as if that might help. 

                Clara held her hand out with a pointed expression.  He frowned but eventually gave it to her.   They were headed to the Trevi Fountain next on their sightseeing trip of typical tourist spots.  Clara traced a path through the nonsensical Roman streets with her finger.    It wasn't far, only a few blocks. 

                "I'm going to have to teach you how to read a map." she smiled. 

                "I can read a map!" the Doctor said, straightening his bowtie defensively.  

                Clara rolled her eyes, "right…"

                As she got to her feet the world spun violently causing Clara to stumble.    The Doctor grabbed her around the waist before she fell.   Clinging to her husband's lapels she waited for the dizziness to pass.  

                "What is it?" voice full of concern, he brushed her cheek softly with his fingertips.

                Clara took a steadying breath and the spinning ceased.  "I think I just stood up too quickly.  Probably dehydrated." she said trying to laugh it off.

                The Doctor seemed reluctant to let her go, "Are you sure?"

                "Yes I'm fine now." She said, ignoring the queasiness in her stomach.  Clara didn't want it to spoil their day.   It would pass in a minute.  

                He released her still watching closely.   Clara smiled reassuringly.  It was the third time something like this had happened, though until now she'd been able to hide it from the Doctor.   It was just some silly flu and he would get all needlessly worked up.   Clara loved that he cared so much, but she worried the Doctor was going to give himself a heart attack.   Not that she didn't understand, after how much he'd already lost. 

                They wandered through the crowded streets holding hands while the Doctor told her about the different times he'd been to the city.   This included once when he'd beaten Julius Caesar in a game of knuckle bones and the man tried to have him executed.   If she didn't live with him Clara would never believe a word of it. 

                They reached the fountain which was swarmed with people.  Clara pulled out the camera the Doctor had given her as a wedding present and started snapping pictures.   She stood up on her tiptoes holding it out in front of them to get the fountain in the background.   The Doctor tried to duck out of the shot as usual, but she wouldn't let him.    He consented, kissing her cheek as she hit the flash.      

                The camera had come with several rules to follow the number one 'don't wander off'.    Time travel being the secret that it was, Clara couldn't show the pictures to anyone and had to keep them on the TARDIS.   She pretended to be upset by his lack of trust, watching the Doctor back pedal in a panic.   It was easy to mess with someone so easily flustered and embarrassed.   Only when Clara started laughing at his arm flailing did he realize she didn't mean it.    

                She understood where he was coming from.  Clara just wanted something to document their life together even if they were the only ones to see the album.   Maybe someday there would be someone for them to share it with.   Clara got off that train of thought quickly.   There were things you just couldn't have in life; no matter how much you wanted them. 

                She was brought back to the present by the Doctor.  He pulled her to the edge of the fountain and handed Clara a rough bronze coin.   It was unevenly cast with a man's portrait of the front.

                "Is this an As?" she exclaimed, inspecting the coin closely. 

                "Well this is Rome isn't it?" the Doctor replied looking confused. 

                "You do realize they stopped using these, right?"

                "Really?  No wonder everyone keeps insisting I use the plastic swipe-y thing."    

                Clara giggled at his astounded expression.  "I believe it's called a credit card, dear."

                "These are better!  They make your pockets jingle," he insisted, "And you can't throw in credit cards.  Well I guess you could, but -"

                "Doctor." she cut him off before he got on a tangent.

                "Anyway, the point is that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain it's said you will be destined to return to Rome someday." the Doctor said.  "I know it's silly."

                "What's wrong with silly?  I married you didn't I?" Clara teased.    

                She closed her eyes and added a wish before tossing the As into the water.   The Doctor smiled wistfully before throwing his own coin in.   Neither realized they were wishing for the same thing. 

                The sun began to set, sinking below the hills.   The glow of the storefronts and the little white lights in the trees lit the sidewalk as they wandered back towards their hotel.   Every evening Clara and the Doctor took a walk; there was something about the way the city looked in twilight.   The digital age mashed together seamlessly with the leftovers of the classical area.   Cobble stone and steel, aqueducts and pavement, there was nowhere else like it.   

                Clara caught movement out of the corner of her eye.  Someone darting between shadows behind them.  From the way his head turned she was sure the Doctor saw it too.  He frowned but didn't say anything.  It could be nothing, Clara reasoned, just a drunk or maybe a dog.  Not everything was out to get them.  The hotel was just ahead and the TARDIS conveniently hidden in the alley behind it.   Clara relaxed as they stepped into the warm glow of the marble floored lobby.   She couldn't jump at every shadow or she would drive herself mad.

                "So where are we going for our last day in Rome?" Clara asked as they rode the elevator up to their floor.

                "Anywhere you like." the Doctor smiled pulling her against him. 

                She bit her lip pretending to consider, "I think I might require breakfast in bed or we could forget the breakfast and just keep with the bed idea."

                He flushed at Clara's smirk.  "I can't argue with that."

                "I sure hope not." she said pulling his mouth down to hers. 

***

                At first Clara wasn't sure what woke her, then she noticed the cold air blowing through the room.   They must have forgotten to close a window.  Careful not to wake her husband Clara slipped out of bed and pulled on her robe.  For such a warm day the night air coming in was freezing.   She stole out of the bedroom into the tiny living space of the hotel suit.   The source of the problem was clear.   White curtains billowed like sheer ghosts from the open window.

                A gloved hand clamped over Clara's mouth, while an instrument was pressed against her abdomen by a second man with a scraggly ginger beard.   Clara tried to scream for the Doctor, but it was too stifled.  Slamming her head back she smashed her assailant's nose with a sickening crunch.    He let out a muffled curse tightening his grip on Clara.   

                "Hold her still." hissed the man holding the metal instrument.  It beeped and a green light blinked to life.              An excited grin split his features.  "We definitely got the right girl."

                Clara'd had about enough of this nonsense.  She was no weakling damsel in distress who needed rescuing and these two idiots were going to find that out the hard way.   Throwing her legs out Clara forced the man to drop her at the sudden shift in weight.   She hit the ground rolling out of the way before they could grab her again.

                "Doctor!"

                Leaping to her feet Clara made a mad dash for the bedroom hoping she could barricade them inside.   The man whose nose she broke wrenched her backwards by the hair.   Losing her balance Clara fell against the coffee table bruising her side.

                The Doctor stumbled into the room alerted by her cries.   He saw what was happening and charged forward trying to reach his wife, only to get hit in the chest with an electric bolt.  He seized then collapsed onto the carpet unmoving.

                "No!" Clara screamed fighting tooth and nail to get to him.  

                _Smack._   "Shut up!"  The man holding her slapped Clara hard.   She stopped yelling in shock, no one had ever hit her before. 

                "We're supposed to deliver the girl undamaged, jackass." snapped the ginger bearded man.   He even had the gall to give Clara an apologetic look.   "Don't worry, he's just knocked out."

                "What do you want?" Clara was proud that her voice betrayed none of her fear. 

                "Just you."

                "Let's get this over with.  I want to get paid." said the ginger. 

                 He rolled up his shirt sleeve exposing a strange computerized wristwatch.  Clara recognized it instantly: a vortex manipulator.   They could take her anywhere or anywhen.  She started struggling again as he typed in coordinates.  Both men held onto her arms and they disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. 

                The moment they rematerialized Clara fell to her knees and was violently sick.   She was on the stone floor of a large temple lined with columns and statuary.  Before her stood a group of women dressed in fine wool peplos with braided belts.   The woman who was obviously in charge stepped forward to help Clara to her feet. 

                "You poor dear." she said in a simpering voice that matched her doll-like beauty and golden curls.    Another woman handed her a goblet of dark liquid.  "Here this will help."

                Before Clara could protest the goblet was tipped back and the liquid poured down her throat.  She coughed and sputtered, choking on the unknown drink.   Immediately, a pleasant tingling sensation spread through her limbs making Clara feel drowsy and content.  She forgot all her worries.   In fact, Clara couldn't remember why she was worried in the first place; she couldn't remember anything at all.   Slowly she sank to the floor in a deep sleep.

                "Take her to the dormitories and summon me when she wakes."  directed the woman in charge.   She turned to the two men.   Unhooking a satchel from her belt she tossed it at their feet.  "There is your gold."

                 "Pleasure doing business with you." grunted the man, whose nose was dripping blood onto the floor.  He picked up the bag with a mocking bow. 

                "Though it seems like a lot of trouble over one pregnant girl." remarked his partner as they vanished in a second white hazy.  

               


	17. Time Passes: Part 1

**~Time Passes: Part 1~**

_Clara; Day 1_

                Clara opened her eyes and glanced around in confusion.  This wasn't where she was supposed to be.  Or was it?  She ran her fingers through her tousled hair, trying to wake up.   Her head ached and her mind was hazy.   Nothing made sense. 

                Clara was in a dormitory lined with small wooden beds with straw mattresses.   Torches hung in sockets along the rough, tan stone walls filling the room with flickering light.   Several girls were still sleeping under woolen blankets.  Did she live here?  Why couldn't she remember?

                "Oh good you're awake." said a simpering voice making Clara leap to her feet.  

                Bad idea, her legs gave out and she ungracefully collapsed back onto the bed.  A beautiful blonde woman rushed to her side, "Steady dear.  You've been through quite the ordeal." 

                Clara stared at her blankly, the woman looked familiar.  "What ordeal?"

                "Don't you remember?   You were thrown from your horse." she explained patting Clara's cheek in what she clearly thought was a mothering fashion.  "You hit your head pretty hard, some confusion is to be expected." 

                Was that why she couldn't remember anything?  It made sense, but Clara still felt like something was missing or was it someone?  She tried to force her way past the fog in her mind.  A messy room with bookcases, a flash of purple fabric, cool skin against hers.  Nothing, there was nothing else.

                "Where are we?" Clara asked finally. 

                The woman laughed as if she was being silly.  "The temple of the Mysteries of Aion, of course."

                "Umm and where is that exactly?"

                "Oh my, you did take quite the blow to the head."  said the woman.  "We are in Attica, Greece.  I'm Head Priestess Hekate and you're one of my new junior priestess, Clara.  Don't you remember?  You were traveling here from our sister temple in Delos."

                She didn't remember, but nodded anyway.  There didn't seem to be any other explanations on the table, maybe it would come back to her after awhile. 

                Hekate smiled, "Now that you're awake I'll send Eileithyia to see you.  Hopefully you will be on your feet in time for afternoon prayers." 

                The priestess glided out of the room.  Clara wasn't sure why but she didn't like Hekate.  There was just something about her which grated Clara's nerves.   With a sigh, she once again tried to stand up.   Her legs were weak but she managed it.  Clara took a few tentative steps regaining her control.    After a few minutes practice she could walk the length of the room and back.

                Several of the girls had woken and were watching Clara's progress. 

                "If old Eileithyia catches you out of bed without her permission she'll skin you alive." said the girl in the bed next to Clara's.  She had a heart shaped face and frizzy honey colored hair.   "No one messes with her patients, not even the patients themselves."

                "She sounds delightful."

                The girl let out a genuine laugh which instantly made Clara feel better.  "She has all the personality of a marble statue, but there is no better healer you could ask for."

                "So she's a doctor?" Clara asked, wondering why that word made her heart constrict. 

                The girl nodded.  "I'm Sarra by the way.  You're Clara right?  We were all so worried when we heard about the accident."

                Clara sat on the edge of her bed facing Sarra, maybe she'd found someone who could help her understand what was going on here.  Before she could say anything an older, graying woman marched in and headed straight for Clara.   From the woman's baring and grim expression she assumed this must be Eileithyia. 

                "Can you walk?" she snapped. 

                Clara nodded, already intimidated by the old woman. 

                "Good then come with me, girl."  

                Eileithyia practically dragged her out of the room and to the healer's chambers.   Clara wanted to call it a medical bay, except that didn't seem right.   Every herb and potion known to man lined the walls.   A large table was littered with knifes, cooking pots, and a whole array of medical instruments.   She had Clara lay down on a cot so she could examine her. 

                 "I've seen many riding accidents in my days," said Eileithyia with a shrewd expression, "These bruises are not consistent with any of them.  Nor is there any head injury to account for your amnesia."

                "What does that mean?" Clara asked.   If she hadn't been thrown from a horse then what happened to her?

                "Perhaps it is the work of the Gods." was Eileithyia's non-answer.

                She continued to catalogue Clara's injuries muttering to herself.    In the middle of checking for broken ribs Eileithyia's eyes widened.  She ran her fingers over Clara's stomach carefully.   For the first time the woman smiled, it changed her face entirely.  

                "Did you know?"

                "Know what?" Clara asked pensively.

                "You're with child."

                "What?" she cried sitting up. 

                Clara stared down at her abdomen, mind reeling.  Placing a tentative hand on her belly, Clara felt the slight rounding she knew hadn't been there before.  Then Clara started crying, not out of fear or sadness, but joy.   This only confused her more.   This was something Clara wanted, something Clara wanted desperately.  She wanted to be a mother; she wanted this child more than anything.   The onslaught of emotion was overwhelming. 

                Her sobs turned to shuttering gasps as Clara began to hyperventilate.   Reality was setting in.   She was pregnant and Clara didn't know anything more than that.   She remembered wanting the child, but whose child was it?  The haze in her mind was dense.  Clara had no memory of how this baby had come into being.   

                "Calm yourself, girl." ordered Eileithyia, gripping her shoulders.  "Panic is not healthy."

                "I don't - I don't know how this happened." Clara choked out. 

                The older woman grunted sardonically, "The usual way I'd expect.  Though priestess are supposed to spurn the company of men."   

                Eileithyia frowned, thinking it over.  "The work of the Gods…  It could explain your lack of memory and why Hekate is so concerned with you."

                "What could?" Clara practically shouted.

                "That you're carrying the child of a God." 

                Clara wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively.  She didn't like the sound of this.   Something instinctive told Clara that Eileithyia was wrong.  This baby, _her_ baby, had come from love.  If Clara could remember wishing for a child, that must mean there was some precursor to its existence.   More than the passing whim of an immortal.    

                "Of course you won't be allowed to keep it." continued the old woman impassively, "Once it's born it will be claimed for the Order."

                There was no way in hell Clara was going to let that happen.  No one was taking her baby.  She had to get out of this mad house.  Fighting hard not to let what she was thinking show, Clara sat quietly while Eileithyia finished her examination.   

                The moment she left the healer's chambers Clara ducked into an empty hallway.   Leaning against the cool stone she tried to control her emotions.  It did no good to go to pieces.  Clara needed a plan, because it wasn't just about her anymore.   She pressed a hand to her belly imagining the tiny life growing inside. 

                "Don't worry, sweetheart, no one is going to take you from me." Clara whispered through her tears.   "I promise."

                 


	18. Time Passes: Part 2

**~Time Passes: Part 2~**

 

_The Doctor; Day 1_

                The first thing he heard was the sound of the door being kicked open.  It bounded off the wall, the clang mixing with the din of shouting voices.  The Doctor cracked open his eyes when someone touched his neck checking for vital signs.

                "Hey he's alive.  Can you hear me? Dude?"

                The Doctor groaned.  His chest felt like he'd gone ten rounds with an Ice Warrior and church bells were ringing in his head.  Slowly he sat up.  A group of humans were kneeling next to him on the floor.  A maid, a middle aged couple, and a teenager.  All except the maid were in pajamas.

                "We heard screaming.  What happened?" said the woman anxiously. 

                Screaming?  The Doctor's senses returned with a jolt as his eyes focused on the broken coffee table.  The men in the room, Clara shouting, Clara being thrown down.

                The Doctor sprang to his feet, startling everyone. 

                "They took her!" he cried wildly.  Spinning around as if his wife would reappear before his eyes.

                "Who took who?" demanded the dark skinned man in plaid sweats, grabbing his arm.

                Fighting panic the Doctor focused on him.  "My wife, they took my wife!" he choked out.

                The maid gasped pressing a hand to her mouth.

                "Slow down.  What happened exactly?"

                "I - I was asleep and I heard her scream.  There were two men.  Clara was fighting to get away.  They hit me with something, then … I don't know."

                Why was he wasting time?  He needed to get to the TARDIS.  He needed to find out what happened.  Where could they have gone?  The room was six stories up and the door was locked from the inside. 

                "I have to go." the Doctor muttered distracted. 

                He grabbed his coat off the back of the sofa checking that the sonic was still in the pocket.  The group was trying to get the Doctor to calm down and explain so they could help.   He spotted Clara's camera where it had been knocked to the floor during the struggle.  That the Doctor couldn't leave.  It had photos of her, of them.   He'd never forgive himself if he lost those.    Everything else was replaceable.

                   The Doctor headed for the door ignoring the humans trying to stop him, saying they'd already called the police.  The local authorities wouldn't do him any good.  If someone had taken Clara, they'd taken her because of him.  Because of what the Doctor was and what he'd done.   He'd erased himself from history, but that didn't mean his enemies had forgotten.   There were so many out there who still hated him.   And knowing what they were capable of terrified the Doctor.

                "I need to find my wife." he snapped dodging past the humans. 

                The Doctor raced out of the building.   Oblivious to the stares of the night staff watching a half dressed, distraught man running through the lobby.   Police sirens were heading towards the hotel as the Doctor reached the TARDIS.    He flew inside slamming the doors behind him.  Skidding into the console he started flipping switches and running scans.  The ship had everything about Clara on file down to her unique radioactive frequency.  If anything could locate Clara it was the TARDIS.    There was a loud beep as the scan finished.  The Doctor stared at the screen in disbelief.

                EARTH; LOCATION UNKNOWN

                His hearts stopped.  That meant only one thing; they'd taken her out of this time.  One of the abductors must have had a vortex manipulator or some other crude technology.   Clara's signature had been scattered by the time jump.  The Doctor at least knew she was still on the planet, but she could be anywhere.

                "Come on! Give me something!" he shouted kicking the console. 

                The lights flashed and the engine groaned.  The TARDIS was worried.  The Doctor kept running scans, desperate for something to work.  There had to be a way to pin point Clara's location.  There had to be.   He ran his fingers through his hair, tears of frustration and fear blurring his vision. 

                The Doctor couldn't lose her.  He wouldn't survive it, he wouldn't want to. 

                The screen beeped again as it completed another scan.   There were trace signatures of Clara all throughout the Earth's history.  Far more than there should have been even with time travel.   The Doctor had nothing to go on.  He had no idea where the woman he loved was.

              He sank to his knees. "Please.  Please, Clara where are you?"

***

_Clara; Day 12_

              It was the first night she dreamed of him. 

                _Clara was lying in a field of tall grass listening to the song of the birds.  The sun was hot and the air sweet.   Sensing a presence she glanced over to find a man sitting next to her.   His floppish hair fell into a handsome face.  There was something about him, something familiar.   Clara sat up to face the strange man and he smiled making her heart pound._

_"Do I know you?" she whispered, moving closer to him._

_He laughed placing a hand on her cheek.   "I hope so." he said, leaning down until his lips met Clara's._

_The kiss stirred something deep inside her.   A sense of home, and longing, and desperation so powerful she nearly cried out.  Clara pressed her body against him feeling his arms wrap around her tight.   The taste of him, the feel of him, it was all so familiar.  Slowly they sank back into the grass._

              Clara woke with a start.  Her heart was pounding and tears stained her cheeks.  The dream seemed so real, as did the man.  She sighed getting out of bed.   Splashing water on her face from the stone basin at the end of the room Clara tried shake off the dream.   No matter what it felt like, it wasn't real.   She had other things to worry about.

                Escaping wasn't as easy as Clara had assumed.  The high priestesses guarded her every movement.   The day after she first woke up Hekate claimed she had a prophecy declaring Clara was carrying the child of Aion, the God of time and eternity.   After that she was kept in the temple from sun up to sun down.   Someone was always there to watch her and keep prayer leaving little chance for making a getaway. 

                 Even if she did where was Clara supposed to go?   There was no one out there she knew.   And as the days passed the fog in her mind refused to fade.   Her only consolation was Sarra.   They'd become friends quickly and she was the only one Clara dared confide in.   She told Sarra her suspicions that Hekate was lying about the accident and the prophecy.   And Sarra, though clearly afraid of Hekate and the other high priestesses, was willing to believe Clara. 

                "Are you alright?" Sarra asked, standing beside her at the basin.  The girl's frizzy hair was even worse in the morning humidity.  "Is it the baby again?"

                Clara had gotten sick at least once every day this week.   Eileithyia said that was normal during the first stages of pregnancy, especially since she was already 6 or 7 weeks along.   Though Clara was starting to think the temple prayer incense was more of the problem. 

                She smiled at her friend, "Oh I'm fine, just tired."

                "I brought you something." Sarra said handing Clara a citrus crystallized in honey.  "My mother used to covet these when she was carrying my youngest brother."

                "Why are you so sweet to me?"

                "Because I'm madly in love with you!" teased Sarra with a dramatic swoon.

                "I know." Clara grinned to which her friend responded by splashing water at her. 

                Their moment of fun was interrupted when Hekate, followed by several other women, marched into the room.   Clara shivered at the wide, fake smile on the Head Priestess' face.   It reminded her of how a lion would look at a mouse.   She knew what this was about.  The nearest town was hosting a festival in honor of the Mysteries of Aion and Hekate was going to present Clara as proof of the gods favor.            

                Hekate saw it as an opportunity to gain followers.  Clara saw it as an opportunity to run.               


	19. Time Passes: Part 3

**~Time Passes: Part 3~**

 

_Clara; Day 12_

              "Come with me." Clara pleaded.

              Sarra bit her lip, "What would we do?  You're pregnant; I have no family, where would we go?"

              "I don't know." she admitted, glancing around covertly. "But anything is better than this."

               No one could hear them over the noise of the cart's wheels along the rocky mountain path.  The rustic mule-drawn cart was normally only used to haul supplies up to the temple, but Eileithyia declared that Clara shouldn't be allowed to travel on foot.  She wasn't going to argue even if it was absurd, since it gave her time alone with Sarra who was driving.    

              Hekate led their procession on a horse with blue symbols painted along its flank.   With her fine peplos and coiffed hair she looked every bit the part of the head priestess.   Anyone else accompanying them, which was about half the girls at the temple, were forced to walk behind.   Thankfully the journey wasn't far.   The small village hosting the festival of Aion was nestled at the base of their mountain, just a few hours walk. 

              Sarra remained silent for awhile then she sighed dramatically, "Alright."

              "Alright?"

              "I must be losing my mind.  Alright, I'll come with you."

              Wary of showing too much emotion Clara reached over and squeezed Sarra's hand.  "Thank you." she whispered. 

              The village of Athlios appeared before them.  People lined the streets awaiting their procession which would begin the celebration.   As they descended into the village the crowd cheered and threw ribbons of flowers at their feet.   Even Clara couldn't help but be awed at the spectacle.  For whatever reason she was sure she'd never seen anything like this before. 

              Hekate led Clara up onto a platform in the center of the town where the statue of Aion stood heroic and emotionless.  The vice like grip on her arm was making Clara's fingers go numb.  She knew all she had to do was play along.   The head priestess raised her hands to silence the crowd, smiling benevolently down on them.

              "Dear friends," Hekate called out, "As we are gathered here to worship and celebrate in the name of Aion we are also witness to a miracle.  A sign of his favor for us and proof that the Mysteries of Aion are his chosen subjects."

              Whispers of shock and praise ran through the crowd.  They waited eagerly to hear the rest of Hekate's news.

              She turned to Clara forcing her to the center of attention.  "This is the priestess Clara.  The gods have given me a vision telling me the child she carries is the child of Aion, himself!"

              The villages cheered and some even wept at this announcement.  It took all Clara's willpower not to roll her eyes at their ignorance.   They just accepted such nonsense simply because it was given to them by someone with authority.  These people would allow her baby to be ripped from her arms on the word of Hekate alone.   It made Clara sick. 

              She was paraded around as the festival got underway, shaking hands and being introduced to various officials.   The promises of donations and offerings to the temple were pouring in.  Clara watched Hekate's smug grin realizing that's what this was all about.  The temple needed money so Hekate went and got herself a miracle.   Clara's face flushed with anger.  This bitch had stolen her memories!  For money!  If they weren't being watched she would have punched her right there.   She had to keep it under control if she wanted to escape.     

              Sarra grabbed Clara's hand and pulled her to the side while Hekate was distracted. 

              "I've got a plan." she said, "When they prepare for the sacrifice everyone will be watching Hekate recite prayers.   The moment she takes her eyes off you we run, head straight for the valley.  Then we can lose them in next mountain path.  They'll never catch up!"

              "It's perfect!" Clara grinned.

              Waiting for their opportunity was the worst part.   Every muscle in her body was taunt as piano wire.   A great fire was lit as the sun began to set and a bull was led out into the center of the watching worshipers.  This was it. 

              Hekate stepped forward her body lit by the flickering glow.   Clara took a cautious step towards the shadows.   Sarra was right, everyone was too busy watching the head priestess to notice.   Without a second thought Clara turned and ran.   She almost screamed when Sarra appeared from her left.  They grinned at each other flush with adrenaline.    The final cry of the bull was the only sound as they disappeared into the night.

***

_Clara;  Day 17_

_"Why do you come to me?" she whispered as the man lay down beside her.   His arms slid around her naked body making her breathing falter._

_"Don't you want me here?"_

_His words tickled the back of her neck.  Clara sighed, turning over to face him.  His features were achingly familiar as was his body against her own.  She didn't understand, but he made her feel complete.    He filled the void inside._

_Clara stroked his cheek.  He was so real, so solid.  "Always."_

_He smiled, running his fingers through her dark hair.  A deep longing filled her.   Clara needed his touch, needed him.  With a strangled sob she pulled him to her.   Their mouths met.  Lips stained with tears.   He rolled above her, pressing her to the bed.   His timeless blue eyes met Clara's._

_"Stay with me." she whispered._

_He began to fade away until all Clara could hear was his voice._

_"Always."_

                Clara woke sobbing desperately, curled into a ball on the cold ground.   It felt as if someone had cut out her heart.   She fisted her hair in her hands, tearing at it.

                "Don't leave me, please don't leave me." she murmured over and over.   Clara was terrified, she didn't know what was happening to her.   It was driving her mad.  

                "Shhh… honey what's wrong?  Clara?"   Sarra pulled her hands away from her face looking stricken.  "You dreamed about him again didn't you?"

                She nodded unable to speak. 

                Every night the man came to her and every morning she woke in physical pain.    Her chest hurt, her head hurt, every atom in her body ached.   Clara ran her fingers over her now thoroughly stained dress feeling her growing belly.  The baby bump was larger than it had been just days ago, something even Sarra had noticed.  Both girls were sure that wasn't normal, but neither knew what to do. 

              Sarra pulled Clara into her arms rubbing soothing circles on her back.  Clara relaxed at the touch.  She didn't know what she would do without Sarra.  Not that their journey had been terrible so far.   It was still summer so they'd been able to find food and water, but the father they went the harder it was getting.   Clara knew they need to get out of the mountain and find civilization.  She would lose the baby if she ran out of food.   Except in a village Hekate was more likely to find them and there was no way she wasn't looking. 

              "Who do you think he is?" Sarra asked finally, breaking into Clara's depressed thoughts.   

              She glanced up at her friend hoping what she was about to say was true and the man wasn't simply a figment of her imagination.  "I think he is the father of my child."

 

 

 

 

 

 


	20. Time Passes: Part 4

**~Time Passes: Part 4~**

_Clara; Day 34_

They were staying at farm on the outskirts of a city.  Hospitality and guest friendship were such ingrained parts of the culture that no one ever turned Clara and Sarra away or denied them a hot meal.   Someone had taken them in almost every night since they'd left the mountain pass for which both women were eternally grateful.   

              The fact that Clara was showing probably helped their case.   Few would deny the needs of a homeless pregnant woman.  The baby was growing at a rate that scared her, every day her belly got notably larger.   At just over two months along Clara looked closer to five months.  There was no logical explanation and she was afraid there was something terribly wrong with her child. 

              Sarra was still sleeping, her wild hair a halo on her pillow.  Careful not to wake her Clara slipped out of the bed and changed into the spare clothes their host Damon had given her.   The sun was only just beginning to show itself as she stepped outside.    There was a small pond beside the house which caught her eye.  It reminded her of something…   A cottage with a garden and a pond she used to throw stones into. 

              The rush of mental images made Clara stumble slightly.  These were memories, she was sure of it.   They were too disjointed to understand now, but maybe it was a sign that whatever Hekate had done was wearing off.  It gave Clara hope.

              "Then I'll be able to find him, sweetheart." she whispered.  "Then maybe I can find your father."

              As if in response to these words Clara felt a strange fluttering movement in her abdomen.  She gasped in amazement pressing a hand to her stomach.   Not sure whether to laugh or cry she stood there in shock.  The baby moved again against her hand.  In that moment Clara knew there was nothing in the universe she could love more.   She was going to be a mother.

              Closing her eyes Clara dreamed of the future.  They were on a farm much like this and a little boy was running through a field.   Sarra laughed at his antics looking happier than Clara had ever seen her.   Her honey curls glowed in the sun.   Clara watched with a sense of pride leaning against the man from her dreams, who had his arm around her shoulders.   He kissed her cheek then pulled her after them.   They were a family, Clara's family. 

              She turned back towards the house knowing breakfast would be served soon.   Clara and Sarra offered to help with cooking as a way to repay people's kindness in letting them stay.   They were always turned down though, because having them work would violate hospitality.  Clara ran into Damon, the master of the house, at the front entrance. 

              "Morning Miss Clara." he smiled and glanced around.  "Where is your friend Sarra?"

              "I was just on my way to wake her." Clara said.  

              Damon was a large man and all of it was muscle.   His skin was tanned from the sun and his hands calloused from manual labor.   The kind of man no sane person would pick a fight with.   He'd been nothing but polite, but Clara still felt leery in his presence.   Both girls agreed that they would only stay one night in Damon's home.   

              "There is no need to bother her." Damon said stepping into Clara's path.

                He fingered the dagger on his belt, never taking his eyes off her face.   Warning bells went off in Clara's head as she tried to move around him.   Damon caught her arm.  

              "I think I know how you can repay me." he leered, fingers ghosting over her collar bone.

              "Let go of me." Clara said evenly.   She wasn't going to give this thug the satisfaction of knowing he'd scared her. 

              Damon shoved her against the rough plaster wall.  "Don't be like that.   I know what you are.  Unmarried and pregnant, you're nothing but a common whore."

              Clara spit in his face, which was a big mistake.  Suddenly the thin blade of the dagger was cutting into her neck while Damon ripped the pins from her peplos.   The wool garment fell to the ground leaving Clara exposed and vulnerable.   His mouth closed over hers cutting off her screams.    Clara kicked and struggled as Damon pressed his body against hers.   Some detached part of her brain prayed that he'd come after her first and Sarra was ok. 

              Sick with fear and disgust Clara scrabbled at the dagger.   Large calloused hands bruised her skin as Damon grabbed at her flesh.  He fought to keep control of her.   Growling in frustration and excitement he struggled to remove his belt.   Clara bit his hand.   She ripped the dagger from his grasp and in one fluid moment turned it on her attacker. 

               Smashing the hilt into Damon's skull Clara knocked him out cold.   He collapsed at her feet.  Taking deep breaths to stop herself from throwing up, Clara knelt down and collected her clothing.   She'd never felt so dirty, every inch of her skin was crawling.

              "You bloody son-of-bitch!" she shrieked kicking the unconscious man in the ribs. 

              On shaky legs Clara rushed back to Sarra who was thankfully still asleep.   Her friend went wide eyed when she explained what had just happened. 

              "Are you ok?  He didn't-?"

              "He didn't get that far." Clara said avoiding Sarra's concerned gaze.   She didn't want to think about this anymore.  "We just need to get out of here before he wakes up." 

***

_Clara; Day 41_

              "You can't keep ignoring this Clara!" Sarra cried.  "I'm not saying we go back to the temple, I'd never say that.   Yet you can't keep pretending there is nothing strange going on here!" 

              "It doesn't change anything!" Clara hissed trying to keep her voice down.  The walls at the inn were cheap and thin.

              "Doesn't change anything?  The father of your child clearly wasn't human.  How does that not change things?"

              "Because I still don't know who he is."   Her eyes filled with tears, "Or where he is, or if he even gives a damn about me and this baby!"   

              Sarra sighed in defeat.  "I'm sorry."

              Clara sat down beside her.  "It's ok, I'm worried too."

                "My life used to be so simple.  I did my duty as a priestess.  I prayed, I believed, I followed orders.  Now everything is a mess and I don't know what to think anymore."

                It was Clara's turn to apologize.

                "No." Sarra said taking her hands, "I wouldn't change it for anything.  You're the best friend I've ever had, the sister I've always wanted.  And I love you."

                Clara pulled her into a hug.  "I'm the one who's supposed to be overly emotional right now." She smiled, "I love you too."

                Because the universe seemed united against them it was at that moment that the door to their tiny, dark room flew open.   Hekate stood framed in the entrance like an avenging goddess.   She smiled without humor knowing they were trapped.   Three of the other high priestess were behind her.   Clara suspected there were even more outside.  She didn't see a way out of this one.

                "Do you have any idea the trouble I've been through tracking you down?" Hekate said scanning the room.   Shock flitted across her face when she saw Clara's accelerated pregnancy.   "It seems those fools who brought you to me were right after all."

                Clara whipped out the dagger she now kept on her at all times.  "Back off, bitch!  Or I swear to any deity who's listening I will use this.   I'm tired, pissed off, and hormonal so I'd leave now if I were you!"

                Hekate actually laughed.  Then, with a lighting fast move that displayed professional training, she disarmed Clara.   "You were saying."

                Clara would never understand what Sarra was trying to do when she ran at Hekate.   No matter how many times she replayed the scene in her mind.   It happened so fast.   Sarra charged and Hekate swung upwards with the dagger.   The blade caught her across the throat, slicing open the delicate skin.   Clara caught her friend as she fell back, hands uselessly trying to stop the blood pouring from her neck. 

                They sank to the floor.   Sarra choked and sputtered struggling to breath as her lungs filled with fluid.   Her panicked eyes focused on Clara's.   Already drenched in red, Clara held her close muttering nonsense.   She had no idea what she was saying, but she was afraid to stop.   If she stopped talking it would be over.   Slowly the panic faded from Sarra's eyes along with everything else.   Her body went limp, an empty shell, a dead weight in Clara's arms.  

                Clara didn't even fight as the priestesses pulled her to her feet.   She was numb.  They left Sarra lying in her own life's blood on that dirty, cold floor.  Worthless and abandoned.    All Clara could see were her friend's vacant eyes as she was dragged away.    

 

 

 

 

 

 


	21. Time Passes: Part 5

**~Time Passes: Part 5~**

 

_Clara; Day 47_

                "You may as well just tell me." Clara said. 

                She watched Hekate move around the room lighting candles, imaging strangling her.   Only there was sadly no way for Clara to reach.   She was currently sitting in the inner sanctum of the temple of the Mysteries of Aion while chained to the wall.   The heavy iron manacles rubbed her wrists raw as Clara tried to work herself out of them.   Every part of her hurt, from her body to her heart.

                Hekate turned to face her, "Tell you what?"

                "Who I am.  What you did to me."

                "You're nobody.  Just some girl stupid enough to spawn a half-human child, which is what I needed.   That's what I paid for and that's what was delivered.  As for your sorry little life, I don't know any more than you do."  Hekate said with distain.

                "Was the temple really so desperate for money?"

                The head priestess looked confused at Clara's lack of understanding.  "People of this nation are losing faith.  I would have restored it and saved the Mysteries.  People would worship in the name of Aion once again."

                "So you kidnap a pregnant woman."

                "It was for the greater good."

                Clara rolled her eyes, "Lots of people say that."

                "I don't need to explain myself to you." snapped Hekate. 

                Ignoring the outburst Clara continued, "You didn't answer one of my questions.  How did you wipe my memories?"

                "They're not gone, just suppressed." She explained with a smug grin.  "You see, I'm a very skilled herbalist.  I know how to blend a form of nepthene so potent it not only makes you forget your troubles, but everything else as well.  One drop and you forget a day.  A goblet full and…well, you already know don't you?"

                Nepthene?  Clara was sure she'd heard of it before, except she thought it was a myth.  It was in a book she'd read a long time ago, when she was young, about a man lost at sea.  A man trying to find his way home.   She had a sudden flash of a memory.  Hekate was forcing a goblet of liquid down her throat. 

                She forced herself to focus and follow the memory back.   Before the goblet there were two men dressed in black.   They were in a room with furniture unlike any Clara had seen here.   It was all so disjointed and vague.   The man was there.  He tried to help her but then his chest was hit with lighting.   He lay unmoving on the ground.

                Clara snapped back to the present.  What did that mean?  Was the man dead?  The baby kicked as if in protest.  She winced, rubbing her bruised skin.  The child was very strong and her body was already pushed to the limit by the accelerated growth.  There was no time for her muscles to adjust to the changes.  Not for the first time Clara wondered just what the man from her dreams was.  He appeared to be like any other human, though that clearly wasn't the case.   How could they have ended up together and what did that mean for their baby?

                With a sigh Clara leaned back against the wall.  Tears she could no longer suppress leaked from the corners of her eyes.   Everything had gone to hell.   Sarra, her best friend, was dead and now Hekate would take her child.  There was nothing worse than the thought of losing her baby.   That didn't mean she was giving up though.   Clara would fight tooth and nail, until her very last breath to protect her child.  It was just getting harder.   Though Clara knew she was going to need a contingency plan in case she didn't find a way out of this.

                The hours passed slowly.   Clara tried to track the passage of time by the movement of the light from the high windows, but it only frustrated her more.   Food was brought around midday, because at least they couldn't afford to have her starve to death.  Clara had to be kept relatively healthy since she was carrying their precious investment.   Though now after Hekate's little confession, she didn't want to eat or drink anything they gave her.  There was no way she was going to allow herself to forget again.   The only problem was Clara needed to eat eventually. 

                The light in the stone room was growing dimmer when Clara first heard the sounds coming from outside.   People were yelling and shouting.   There were the sounds of weapons firing, weapons which didn't exist here.  Clara pulled herself to her feet and took a step forward.   The chains prevented her from going any farther.   The shouting was getting closer; she could almost make out voices now.   Holding her breath Clara stared, unblinking at the large wooden door which walled off the inner sanctum.

                With a tremendous boom the door flew open.  Clara screamed throwing herself back against the wall.    A group of people rushed in aiming blasters as they scanned the room for threats.   But none of that mattered because Clara recognized the tall, thin man leading them.  It was him.   It was the man she'd been dreaming about.  He was gaunter and looked like he hadn't slept in a long time, but Clara would know his face anywhere.

                 The man froze, his mouth falling open slightly when he saw her.   Time slowed as he walked towards her as if in a trance, never taking his eyes off her face.   Clara forgot how to breathe. 

                "You're alive." he whispered voice hoarse, unused.

                She let out a laugh that was almost a sob and nodded.  Then his mouth was on hers, arms pulling her closer desperately.  The rush of overwhelming sensation at that moment broke the barriers in Clara's mind.   It all came surging back.   Her life in London, meeting the Doctor on the street, running away with him, when he proposed on the island, their adventures, and their wedding.  It all came back. 

                "Doctor, you’re my Doctor." she murmured.   

                Clara tried to reach up to touch his face, but was stopped by the chains.  It was only then that the Doctor realized she was in manacles.   His face lost all emotion as he carefully removed them with the sonic screwdriver.   He stared at the bruised and bleeding skin on her wrists with dawning horror.   Obviously the Doctor hadn't noticed the bigger picture yet.  

                Clara forced him to look at her.   She smiled in pure joy knowing what this would mean to him.  "There is something I have to tell you." 

                Before the Doctor could say anything she took his hand and placed it on her rounded belly.   His eyes went wide as a tiny foot kicked out against him. 

                "That’s a… you're…"  The Doctor's look of genuine amazement made her heart flutter.

                "We're having a baby."  

                His smile was brighter than the sun.  "We're having a baby." he repeated. 

                The Doctor pulled Clara into a kiss that lifted her off her feet.   "I love you." they whispered over and over.  They didn't need to say anything else. 

                Eventually the rest of the group broke up their moment insisting that they needed to leave.   For the first time Clara realized who else was with them.   The Doctor had scrounged up his own little army to rescue her.   Captain Jack, Martha, and Mickey were all there, along with several people Clara didn’t know.  

                "Lovely to see you again Clara," Jack said with a wink, "Though I'm afraid the rest of the pleasantries will have to wait.   The tranquilizers we used on your charming friends here will be wearing off soon and I doubt we want to be around when they wake up."

                The Doctor nodded then scooped Clara into his arms.   Everyone could see she was too weak to do any running at the moment.   She rested her head against his chest listening to the sound of his double heart beat, a sound she thought she'd never hear again.   She was safe now. 

                She was home. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	22. Back Where We Belong

**~Back Where We Belong~**

 

                The mental and physical exhaustion caught up with her quickly.  Except Clara didn't want to close her eyes and miss even a second now that she was back in her husband's arms.  The Doctor laid her down on the bed and stepped aside so Martha could check Clara over.  He refused to let go of her hand though and he was grinning like an idiot.  Clara smiled back sleepily.  How could she ever have forgotten him?  

                "Have you thought about a name yet?" Martha asked as she continued her poking and prodding.

                The Doctor almost looked anxious as he waited for her answer.  It was cruel he'd been forced to miss so much of this.  She wished they'd found out together, but not even they could change the past.

                "I'm not sure." Clara said, "I've always liked Ethan."

                "You think it's going to be a boy?"

                "It's just a feeling."

                "Ethan is a great name." the Doctor said kissing her forehead. 

                "I could tell you gender with an ultrasound, but for tonight I'm prescribing bed rest." said Martha.

                "Sounds good to me." Clara mumbled already drifting. "But tomorrow I want to know how you found me."

                "We'll regale you with all the thrilling details."

                Martha slipped out leaving Clara and the Doctor alone for the first time.  He sat down on the edge of the bed watching her.  It seemed he was afraid to touch her, like she might break or disappear. 

                "How long has it been since you've slept?" Clara asked quietly.

                The Doctor smiled weakly at how easily she saw through him.  "I don't remember."

                "It's ok, it's over now." She whispered stroking his cheek.

                He nodded and kissed her softly.  Clara pulled off the Greek peplos and tossed it across the floor.  Hopefully the TARDIS would burn it or drop it in a black hole somewhere.

                "You're so beautiful." the Doctor said in amazement, placing a hand on her rounded belly.  He looked overwhelmed as he felt their child move.  "You've given me everything I've ever wanted."

                Clara covered his hand with hers, "And you've done the same for me."

                The Doctor rested his forehead against hers.  Clara sighed closing her eyes.  It was the first moment of true peace either of them had had in a long time.  Both exhausted they crawled under the covers knowing everything else could wait.  Clara snuggled against her husband pillowing her head on his chest.  She drifted to sleep almost immediately.

                The Doctor laid awake much longer stroking her hair and simply marveling in the fact that Clara was back in his arms.  He was going to be a father, after so many centuries he was going to be a father again.

***

                With manic energy the Doctor rushed around insisting that he make everyone breakfast.  Most of the group had yet to experience his cooking.  Or at least the eleventh him's cooking.  Clara kept her mouth shut wondering just what her husband would dream up and whither it would be in any way breakfast related.

                The story of her rescue was being recounted with input from everyone involved.  Clara had a feeling they were avoiding talking about the state the Doctor had been in while she was missing.  Simply by avoiding it Clara knew and she wasn't blind.  He was pale and thin with dark circles under his eyes.  She'd never seen anything take such a physical toll on the Doctor before. 

                After Clara had been kidnapped the Doctor enlisted the collective help of U.N.I.T. and Torchwood.  Tracking her throughout time turned out to be much harder than anyone imagined though.

                "There were trace echoes of you everywhere." said a professional looking blonde woman, who had been introduced as Kate Stewart.  She was the daughter of the famous Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart or as everyone called him 'The Brigadier'.  "The Doctor used a bunch of fancy jargon to explain it, which none of my science team could understand."

                "Sometimes when he does that I think he's just making shit up." said Mickey.

                "I heard that!" called the Doctor from the stove.

                Clara covered her laugh to save her husband some dignity. 

                "Eventually," continued Jack, "We were forced to build what amounted to the universe's largest and most singularly focused scanner.  It was either going to work or blow a hole in the galaxy."

                "We failed to mention that part to the UN."

                Martha raised her eyebrows at Kate, "Like you told the UN anything about this.  They'd never have green lighted a tactical time jump."

                "And since I'm returning you to within two minutes of when you left they never need to know!" quipped the Doctor.

                He came over balancing several platters of what looked like actual breakfast items.  Clara took one whiff of the sausage and pushed the plate as far away as possible.

                Kate laughed, "I remember that.  Sometimes I would just think about certain foods and get nauseous."

                "Why is there chocolate fondue on the table?" interrupted Jack, staring at the offending dish with suspicion.

                The Doctor narrowed his eyes, "Not for whatever you're thinking about I'm sure.   It's for the fruit."

                "That’s a desert, dear." Clara reprimanded, before scooping some onto her plate anyway and making everyone laugh.

                The banter and lightheartedness was surreal.  Part of her was convinced she was going to wake up and all of this would just be another dream.  She would be back in that temple under the power of Hekate.   But the Doctor's hand stayed in hers and the dream never ended.

                Before returning to 2013 Martha prepared the medical bay to give Clara an ultrasound.  Something she couldn't believe existed; a machine that let you see your baby before it was born!  It would have been nothing short of a miracle in her time.   Martha also wanted to determine the cause of the accelerated growth of the fetus.  The Doctor guessed it had to do with the time energy inherent in his bloodstream, which must have passed to the child.

                "There is nothing to compare to though." he explained, "Time Lords didn't even allow other species on Gallifrey much less to produce offspring with them.  That would have been a brilliant way to get exiled or have a regeneration forced on you."

                Martha gasped, "They'd do that?"

                "Didn't I ever tell you how my second self died?"

                "Let's not discuss death." said Clara.

                "You're right." her husband agreed.

                She hopped up onto the examination table and allowed Martha to roll up her shirt.  It was nice to have her friend be the doctor instead of some nurse in an alien hospital.  Not that the TARDIS medical bay was particularly comforting.   Stark whites and stainless steel covered every surface that wasn’t already hidden behind strange and scary looking instruments.  Normally Clara avoided the place at all costs, but at the moment none of it bothered her.  She was about to see her baby for the first time. 

                Martha spread the freezing gel over her stomach, snickering at Clara's curses.   She moved the transducer back and forth as a 3D image formed on the screen beside her.   The Doctor squeezed Clara's hand as their child came into focus.  It was so tiny and so perfect.  They created this! Clara was crying before she even realized it.  Smiling up at her husband she found she wasn't the only one. 

                "She's beautiful." said Martha, "Beautiful and healthy."

                "She?"

                "Yes, she." grinned their friend.

                "A daughter.  We're having a little girl." the Doctor said in awe, kissing Clara with happy abandon.  He looked back at the screen then laughed.  "Yep definitely _our_ daughter!"

                Martha had already seen it and just nodded. 

                "What?" Clara asked, squinting at the computer screen. 

                "Two hearts."

 

 

 

 

 

 


	23. Stopping By The Woods

**~Stopping By The Woods~**

 

                Many congratulations were handed out at the news that Clara and the Doctor were having a girl.  Several commented on the sheer audacity of the Doctor with a child, seeing as he behaved like one himself.

                "You'll end up raising both of them." Martha teased.

                Clara sighed, "I've already resigned myself to that fact, believe me."

                "Hey!  I'm not that bad!" protested her husband, who was currently covered head to foot in flour for reasons she couldn't fathom.  It certainly didn't help his case any.

                The Doctor would be a wonderful father.  Clara knew that will all her heart, he just might not be the most fore thinking one.  Heaven help her if their daughter inherited the same natural curiosity and lack of self-preservation.  She was going to spend the rest of her life chasing after the pair of them.  But Clara wouldn't have it any other way.

                Clara wondered just how much like the Doctor she would be.  Would their daughter have the ability to regenerate or would she simply live longer than the average human?  What was it going to be like to grow old while they remained young?  The Doctor would never change, never grow a day older.  But Clara would.  She'd known this going in, but now it seemed far more real.

                She felt her baby kicking insider her, Clara'd watched Sarra bleed out in her arms.  There are certain things you cannot experience without facing your own mortality.   It would hurt, Clara knew that.  It would hurt so much to leave them, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make for this life. 

                They dropped off Martha, Mickey, Jack, and the rest of the U.N.I.T. gang back at their headquarters.  Several wide eyed men and women in uniform stood staring as the TARDIS materialized in the center of the floor.   The room was full of computers and lit up maps of the world.  Everyone tried to act professional but were clearly trying to catch a glimpse of Clara, the wife of the infamous Doctor.  Did she live up to their expectations?  Was she what they pictured?

                 Clara and the Doctor promised to stop in on their friends again soon.

                "As long as it isn't on Christmas." put in Jack knowingly. 

                "And I'm going to want to do regular checkups." Martha said, hugging Clara tight.  "You're my patient now and I won't forget that."

                "Neither will I." she agreed. 

                After saying their goodbyes and attempting to stop all the saluting Clara and the Doctor slipped back into the TARDIS.   The doors snapped closed and the engines whirled to life greeting them cheerfully.   The lights flashed and the console spun.  Clara stumbled into the Doctor's arms as the ship suddenly took off.   They clung onto the railing and each other as the room shook violently.

                "Where are we going?" she yelled over the noise.

                "Good question!" The Doctor stared up at the console tower, "Where are we going?"

                He didn't get any answer.  The ship came to a stop with a resounding thud.  They released their grip on each other and straightened up. 

                "I guess we'll find out." Clara muttered.

                The doors swung open and the engines whirled again encouragingly.

                "I think we're being sent on a date." the Doctor said with raised eyebrows.

                She couldn't help but laugh at how funny that sounded after everything that had happened recently.  A date?  Could they really do something so simple, so normal?  Maybe it's exactly what they needed. 

                 "All right then." Clara giggled linking her arm with her husband's.

                They stepped outside and were hit with freezing cold.   A beautiful, snowy forest stretched out before them.    The dark pines were dusted with a fine layer of white, like powdered sugar on a soufflé.  The sun sent glittering reflections off the snow making the whole world sparkle.   There was no sound but the rustle of the heavy branches in the wind. 

                Clara gasped, "It's gorgeous!  Though I thoroughly suggest warmer clothing before we go exploring."

                "Yes." the Doctor agreed looking panicked, "You shouldn't get cold! Are you cold?"

                "I'm pregnant not on my death bed, darling.  Don't worry I just need a coat." she smiled.

                The TARDIS apparently had prepared for this also.   Boots and outerwear made from some futuristic thermal nylon were waiting for them when they turned around.   Clara couldn't help spinning around in her new long, sky-blue cape.   It was light and velvet soft with white trim and an ornate silver clasp at her throat.   It made her feel like a character in a fantasy novel.

                 The Doctor wore a brown jacket with brass buttons which Clara found extremely attractive.   He turned red as she eyed him up and down.  Clearing his throat in embarrassment he slung a backpack over his shoulder. She giggled and pulled him down into a kiss.  The pack was filled with extra food since Clara was now hungry all the time as well as amorous. 

                "Where are we exactly?" Clara asked after a few minutes of walking through the dense forest.

                "Gastrafor Six I think." said the Doctor, "It's a planet of eternal winter."

                "Does anyone live here?"

                He nodded, "They're famous for engineering a way to grow ice into any shape they want.   The Gastrafor Six ice gardens are known throughout this galaxy."

                "I think you've mentioned them before." she said, "We should definitely go there!"

                "As you wish."

                The afternoon was one of the best in Clara's memory.  Not because of anything that happened, impromptu snowball fights or stolen kisses, just because she was allowed to be happy.   Her nightmares and haunting memories couldn't touch her here.   They melted away pushed back by the Doctor's hand in her own and the love in his eyes when he looked at her.   Everything was perfect.   

                A valley opened up before them in which rested a little city.   Evening was coming on and the houses glowed orange in the dying light.   It was a beautiful picture.  Clara and the Doctor agreed that they should stay the night instead of walking back to the TARDIS in the dark.   As they descended into the town she was struck by the way the people of Gastrafor Six had integrated their advanced technologies with the rustic setting.  Log cabins with invisible heat shielding and solar powered carts.

                They booked a room at a nice hotel.  It overlooked the town square fountain which was made entirely of ice and lit with everlasting candles.   Clara leaned against the window frame watching the way the flames' reelections danced in the crystalline structure.  Would she ever get used to this?  She doubted it. 

                The Doctor slipped his arms around her waist.  Clara turned to face him and suddenly felt insecure.   They'd done no more than share a few kisses since Greece.  It was like a barrier was between them; a line neither was sure about crossing.   It didn't make any sense, but there it was.  She could see in his face, he felt it too. 

                "I'm not sure what to do." Clara admitted finally, not daring to meet his gaze.  "Do you not want me …?"

                The Doctor grabbed her hands forcing her to look at him.  His expression serious.  "There is _nothing_ in this universe that could make me not want you."  He sighed, "I didn't want to push you.  I don't know what you've been through, and I couldn't bear to upset you or pressure you in anyway.  It seems I've screwed that up."

                He waited for Clara to say something.  Instead she decided to show him how she felt.  Reaching up she pressed her lips to his.  The Doctor hesitated for a moment then gave in tangling his fingers in her hair. 

                It was gentle and unhurried as they danced their way towards the bed, freeing each other from clothing between kisses.    He lowered her onto the mattress fingers trailing her body as if committing it to memory.   Clara sighed, pressing up into him.  The Doctor ghosted kisses along her throat and collar bone.   Her whole body was on fire.  The way he moved, the way his skin felt against hers.   Clara's nails trailed along the skin of his back making him groan.

                "Nothing could make me not want this." the Doctor whispered, before sealing her mouth with his.

 

 


	24. Words and Silence

**~Words and Silence~**

 

                Life is funny.  It never turns out quite the way you expect it too.  There are always surprises that throw a spanner in the works. This isn't always a bad thing though.

                Less than a year ago Clara was Miss Oswald governess to the Hartsfield household.  Her life was good; she didn't know anything was missing.  Clara loved her job and did it well.  She knew what was going to happen every day of the rest of her life.   Then she ran into a man on the street.

                Now here Clara was married with a baby on the way.  Talk about unexpected.  Not to mention the fact said husband was an alien and they lived in a spaceship/time machine.  As she listened to the sound of the Doctor's steady breathing Clara knew she'd found what she was looking for.

                Propping her head on one arm Clara watched him, memorizing his features.  You'd never guess his age when the Doctor was asleep.   The weight of all those centuries was hidden behind closed lids.  What must it be like for him, starting over with a wife and child after so long?  Clara was so thankful she could give him this, a reason for living again. 

                No matter what happened they would never be separated again.  Nothing would come between their little family.

                Sensing her gaze the Doctor opened his eyes with a lazy smile.  "You know staring is often considered rude."

                "Shut up."

                His carefree laugh shook the bed.  Clara decided to kiss the smirk off his face, an activity the Doctor seemed to wholeheartedly approve of.   She melted into him, into the kiss.  They had the same languid passion of the night before.  After a minute they broke apart needing oxygen.  He traced the curve of her smile.  Yes life was funny and unexpected, but it was also perfect.

                Clara could tell the Doctor was thinking about something.  His expression was distant as his fingers traced patterns along her naked back.  She brushed her lips across the sensitive skin of his chest bringing him back to the present.

                "What is it?" Clara whispered. 

                "There's something I've been meaning to tell you." The Doctor's voice was strangely hesitant, "I was going to on our honeymoon, but…"

                "Whatever it is just tell me." she reassured.

                He smiled slightly and took a breath then whispered one word.  The very last thing Clara expected him to say.   Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a surprised little 'o'. 

                "Was that…?"

                The Doctor nodded, "My real name? Yes.  In over a thousand years you are the third person I've ever told."

                The emotion made it difficult for Clara to speak, "Thank you for trusting me."

                "Clara I _love_ you.  There is no one in this universe or any other I have ever trusted more." he stated. 

                She nestled against him in a comfortable embrace, feeling warm and safe.  Like her very soul was glowing as her heart hummed in her chest.

                  "I love you." She whispered back.

***

                They spent the afternoon exploring the ice gardens, which lived up to their expectations.   Glittering rose bushes lined the path while twisting crystal wisteria hung overhead.  Each leaf and petal was a unique work of art.    Every flower and plant from every planet imaginable was recreated in perfect detail.   What it must have taken to build this. 

                Clara rested on a sculpted bench.  Her daughter was demanding attention by way of kicking and punching repeatedly.  It was such a bizarre sensation.  She winced rubbing at her belly.  Clara could almost feel the bruises forming on her skin. 

                The baby was growing stronger each day well past that of a human child.   She'd seen glimpses of the Doctor's true strength when he'd dropped his guard and knew this was going to be a very uncomfortable pregnancy.   Thankfully according to his and Martha's calculations of the accelerated growth Clara had less than three months left before she reached term.   She could handle three months.  The baby kicked again.  _Hopefully_.

                "Are you sure you're ok?" the Doctor watched her carefully. 

                "She's just lively that’s all." Clara said, "I blame you."

                His grin made the corners of his eyes crinkle.  "She's your daughter too I can't take all the blame!"

                "You can and you will."

                The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulders letting Clara rest against him.  They fell into an easy silence.   The garden's other visitors wandered along the paths enjoying the peaceful day and occasionally stopping to greet them.  A couple with snow colored skin and eyes and long, pale blue hair walked hand-in-hand following their two small children.   Clara watched their progress noting their proud smiles as one brother listed the names of the plants to the other.  Was this what her and the Doctor's future looked like?  Clara hoped so.

                After dinner at the hotel they made their way back towards the TARDIS.  The Doctor offered to carry her but she told him to stop being ridiculous or he'd end up with a black eye.   He raised his eyebrows and muttered something about hormones and overreacting.   Clara glared him into silence after that.  She was probably the only person who could get the Doctor to stop talking, something she found highly entertaining.  Mostly Clara just gave him a hard time because she could.

                "You know we promised your father we'd visit on Christmas." the Doctor said suddenly.

                She thought about that for a moment, "We seemed to have missed out on all holidays of late."

                "That tends to happen in the TARDIS." he said sheepishly, "I'll make them up to you I promise.  But first I think we should do Christmas with your dad."

                Clara bit her lip, "We'll have been married just over a month from his perspective."

                The Doctor looked confused.  "We _have_ been married just over a month."

                She sighed knowing she was going to have to spell this out for him.  "Honey, my father is Victorian raised and we're newlyweds.   Look at me.  I'm almost three months along.  _Three_!  And we've been married _one_!  That's not even taking into account that fact I look closer to six!"

                The Doctor finally understood why Clara was freaking out.  "Your father knows the TARDIS travels in time and he knows I'm not human.   All we have to do is let him make certain assumptions and he'll be none the wiser.  Not that I think we have anything to be ashamed of.   And having met Henry, Love, I don't think there is anything you could do to make him think any less of you.  He's your father after all."

                "I'm not ashamed, never think that."  Clara hugged him tight, pressing her face into his jacket.   Her husband always knew what to say.  She smiled up at him a happy thought coming to mind. 

                "I don't think we could give him a better present then the news he's going to be a grandfather."

               

 

 

 

 


	25. Secrets and Concerns

**~Secrets and Concerns~**

               

                The TARDIS disappeared from the middle of the U.N.I.T.'s operations room with its classic vorp noise.  Soldiers all started talking excitedly at once.  It wasn't very professional conduct; they were acting like gossiping school girls.  Though for all its pomp and circumstance U.N.I.T. didn’t actually tangle with aliens all that often.  And most of the staff was too young to have ever met their 'Special Consultant' before.  They'd have only heard about the Doctor in stories and reports. 

                "Could you imagine marring an alien?" said one uniform to another.

                "Could you imagine getting a _child_ off one?" the man replied with distaste.  "I mean, I know he's our ally and all but he's not human."

                "No he's better." said Mickey making them both jump.

                "Officer Smith!  I didn't - we didn't --"

                "It's fine.  Lord knows the Doc and I had our differences at first, but after you see the man risk his life to save your planet repeatedly, in multiple universes, you can't hold much against him."

                The two soldiers both looked suitably embarrassed and like they'd give just about anything to disappear into the floor.

                "That man has done more for us than we'll ever know.  Therefore I suggest you keep any other disparaging remarks about his wife to yourself."

                Mickey turned and walked off before they could respond. 

                "Well that was melodramatic." said his own wife with a smirk.

                "Like you weren't about to say something."

                Martha's smirk widened as she shrugged without comment.  He grinned knowing exactly how she would have handled the situation and it certainly wouldn't have been fun for those two idiots. 

                Mickey glanced back to where the TARDIS vanished and the grin slid off his face.  "Do you think we should have told her?"

                Martha knew what he was referring to, "No the Doctor told us not to.  And frankly I agree with him.  There's no telling what that kind of knowledge would do to Clara's mind."

                "But it's his wife he can't just keep something like this from her."

                Martha frowned slightly, "If it was me what would you do?"

                He sighed in defeat knowing she had him.  He'd do anything to keep her safe no matter what.   That didn't mean Mickey felt any better about the situation. 

                When the Doctor came to them in his search for Clara they discovered exactly why he couldn't track her.  She was everywhere.  In different times and different places.  None of them were her though; they were like echoes or copies.  Similar but not quite right.  At least that’s how the Doctor put it and he'd met dozens of them.

                What seeing them was doing to the Doctor was terrifying.  Mickey'd never seen him like that and he knew him after he lost Rose.  Every day he was closer to breaking completely.  He stopped eating, he stopped sleeping.  He'd only speak when spoken to.  They were afraid he was going to die.

                Mickey shook his head, shaking off the memories.  It was fine now.  They built the scanner and they got Clara back.  Of course they still had no idea what was going on.

                 Until they had more information the Doctor forbade them from telling Clara about her copies.  Mickey, Martha, and Kate were keeping up the investigation from U.N.I.T., while Jack and Gwen pooled Torchwoods resources.    They also called in Sarah Jane to see what she could dig up.  Needless to say they had all hands on deck, but no one knew where to start with this one.   

 

 

 

 


	26. An Atypical Christmas

**~An Atypical Christmas~**

 

                Her father knew they were coming, but that didn't stop what was starting to feel like a tornado of butterflies in her stomach.  Clara smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in her visiting dress watching her reflection in the mirror.  She looked pale and jittery something made ever more prominent by the deep red and green checked fabric.

                  It was a great dress, Victorian in style with a modern twist.  Designed by the TARDIS of course.  She spoiled Clara and was more apt to electrocute the Doctor than anything.  The ship was always after him about something or other.  She guessed that was bound to happen when you're with someone over a thousand years. 

                Her husband had on a bowtie in matching fabric which he was ridiculously excited about.  Honestly Clara could just give him a box of Styrofoam for Christmas and he'd be happy.   The Doctor stepped up behind her obviously trying to hide the way he was admiring how the dress hugged her curves.  He was never very good at that.  Even now he got tongue tied and turned red.  He was just generally awkward but that’s one of the reasons she loved him.

                "You better not over shoot this time.  We said we'd arrive in time for tea." She said to his reflection.

                The Doctor made a face as he always did when someone commented on his driving.  "I know.  You've only reminded me a dozen times already."

                There was a beat then they both smiled.  They were so married.

                "Good then let's go." Clara said grabbing his sleeve and dragging him from the wardrobe.

                She was bossing her husband around to distract from her own nerves.  This was it.  Clara had to tell her father he was going to have a granddaughter.  Sure most 24 year olds in 1888 had several children, but they'd also been married since they were 15.  Henry didn't lose it too much when she told him she was engaged to an alien.  Maybe he wouldn't freak out too much when she told him she was carrying a half-alien baby? 

                The Doctor ran around typing in coordinates, pushing buttons, and flipping switches.  He was more manic than usual.  Clara sighed.  Her father loved the Doctor and he was going to lover their daughter too.  After the shock wore off that is. 

***

                Henry met them at the door with a wide smile and what looked like plum pudding on his jacket.  Clara went to hug him waiting for the shoe to drop.  There was really no sense in making a grand announcement since she was so clearly showing.

                "Happy Christmas Papa!"

                "Happy Christmas my d-"

                There went the shoe.  All the blood drained from Henry's face as he took her in.  His mouth opened and closed several times like a fish plucked from the pond.

                "Umm…Henry?"

                The Doctor and Clara exchanged concerned looks.  Henry seemed incapable of speaking.  He looked like he was about to have a heart attack. 

                Clara grabbed him by the shoulders, "Papa! Are you alright?"

                Her father blinked, regaining his senses.  "Daughter you're…umm how?"

                She raised an eyebrow.

                He flushed then coughed, "Well obviously.  I mean, you're so-"

                Henry's eyes hardened as they turned on the Doctor.  It looks could kill he'd be six feet under.   Her husband swallowed nervously.

                Clara quickly stepped in before her father could hit him again.  Corrupting his daughter was something Henry probably wouldn't forgive. 

                No matter her upbringing or time period Clara never thought about their relationship that way.  Yes, she'd gone to bed with the Doctor the first night they left in the TARDIS, but it wasn't like that.   She already knew, on some level maybe she'd always know from the moment Clara first laid eyes on him, that she'd be with him forever.  It felt like she'd loved him all her life.

                "Time travel, don’t you remember Papa?  And my husband's a Time Lord; it causes things to speed up a bit."

                Henry continued to glare at the Doctor for a minute.

                Clara threw in her best pleading face for good measure, "Aren't you happy for me?  You're going to be a grandfather."

                That word got through to him.  A slow smile spread across his features.  The Doctor started breathing again.  Henry took his daughter's hands.  He was obviously overwhelmed and Clara couldn't blame him this was quite a thing to spring on someone.

                "Of course I'm happy for you, dear.  I'm just a little surprised is all."  Henry finally remembered they were all still standing on the front porch.  "Oh my!  Come in, you shouldn't be out in the cold in your condition."

                Clara sighed in mock exasperation, "Don’t you start treating me like a china doll too!"

                They followed him into the living room which was fully decorated in honor of the season.  A tree, garlands, wreaths, Clara'd never seen her father do so much for any holiday before.  And the decorations weren't all of it either.  The whole house smelt of spices and roasting meats.  It seemed Henry decided to prepare them a full Christmas dinner by himself.

                The Doctor glanced around with the same wonder as a child.  Clara smiled breathing in the heady scent of evergreen from the freshly cut pine in the corner.

                "The house looks amazing!  You didn't have to do all this."

                "It's our first family Christmas."  Her father replied by way of explanation.

                Clara hugged him, touched by the gesture.  After her mother died the holidays were never the same.  They could change all that now. 

                The Doctor and Henry set the table chatting about whatever it was men chatted about.   Clara sipped her tea and placed the gifts she brought under the tree.   She was right, now that the shock had worn off her father was practically bubbly with excitement.   'Bubbly' was never a phrase she expected to use in connection to her father but if certainly seemed apt.   He was talking and grinning nonstop. 

                Henry told them how thing were going in his garden and what his plans were for the spring blooming season.   He was going to plant more roses out front.   Clara and the Doctor told him about their trip to Rome and the ice gardens.  They left out any mention of Greece that was a story best left untold.  

                "Flowers made of ice?  I can't even fathom such a thing!"

                "You would have loved it."  Clara said. 

                After tea they moved back into the living room.   Henry and the Doctor were drinking eggnog which she didn't think was the safest idea.   Hopefully there wasn’t too much rum in the mix.   They laughed and pulled crackers filled with pointless prizes and attempted to sing carols.   Clara laid a hand softly on her baby bump to still her daughter's flutterings. 

                The brought out the gifts and much to Clara's delight the cookies.   She wondered if she'd ever cease to be hungry.  

                "Before we being we have a family tradition to uphold." said Henry lifting something out of a box.    

                He was holding a little wreath made out of twisted hazel branches.   Clara giggled as he placed it on her head.   They'd been doing this since she was very small.   The first time she'd made the crown herself and declared that she was the 'Christmas Queen'.   Her father of course had to relate this embarrassing tale to her husband.  Clara took the wreath off to see it closer. 

                "Hazel!" she said suddenly, grabbing the Doctor's arm.  "It's a perfect name."

                He caught on to her meaning quickly and a foolish grin lit up his face.  "I think you're right."  The Doctor spoke to her rounded belly, "What do you think? Hazel?"

                Clara laughed as the fluttering movement increased, "I think she agrees."

                "Hazel it is then."  The Doctor gave her a sweet, joyful kiss.   It would have gone on longer but Henry was in the room.

                "I love it." Henry said, "You know Hazel is a symbol of wisdom and protection."

                "That’s great considering who her parents are." laughed Clara.   She fixed the wreath back on her head.    She handed her two gifts to the men excited to see their reactions. 

                Henry opened his first.   The Doctor got him an intergalactic encyclopedia of plant life and Clara gave him a modified cell phone that could call her anywhere.   That one took a lot of explaining, but once her father understood its purpose he was thrilled.   This way they'd never lose contact no matter how far they went.

                The Doctor insisted that Clara open her gifts next.   Her father bought her a set of fine watercolors which brought back memories of her time as a governess.   She hadn't had the chance to paint since then.   He joked that he would have gotten her baby clothes if he'd known.   She rolled her eyes at him and picked up the Doctor's present.   Clara opened it and gasped.  It was a beautiful handwritten book.   They were translations of fables and fairytales from Gallifrey. 

                "The other half of the gift is from the TARDIS."  the Doctor said.  "She went and built us a nursery.   I'm starting to think she's pretty excited about this whole baby idea."

                Clara threw her arms around him in response.

                   The Doctor got a new bowtie from her father, which was remarkable in the fact that the man actually went into London to buy it.  If that wasn't a declaration of affection Clara didn’t know what was.  

                She held her breath as the Doctor tore off the wrappings on her gift.   It was a photo album, but not just any photo album.   His mouth fell open as he flipped through the pages.   They were pictures his companions had taken throughout their many adventures.   The TARDIS and Martha both held her out with it.   She called her and Martha sent out messages to all the children of time.   They responded with much enthusiasm.   Proof that despite what the Doctor thought he was never alone.   And now he had something to remind him of that fact.  

                His eyes were watery and he couldn't find the words to thank her, but Clara understood.  

 

 

 

 


	27. A Typical Christmas

**~A Typical Christmas~**

 

                The Christmas party at 13 Bannerman Road was in full swing when the Doctor and Clara arrived.   They parked in Sarah Jane's little attic room.  The TARDIS feat neatly in the corner which had been set aside for it.  Clara found it interesting that Sarah Jane was always ready for the Doctor to show up again in her life.   None of his other former companions expected him to just drop in and out of their lives.   

                Her husband had a different kind of relationship with Sarah Jane.  Not one that threatened Clara in anyway, it was just different.  More like family, which was good for the Doctor.  He needed stable relationships outside of theirs.  It kept him sane.

                The moment they stepped out of the TARDIS they were greeted by the strangest creature Clara had ever seen.  A short metal dog on wheels came rolling up them wagging its mechanical tail enthusiastically.

                "Master!" it cried in a robotic voice making a beeline for the Doctor.

                Clara jumped in surprise.  Metal dogs were one thing, but _talking_ metal dogs were a bit much. 

                "K-9!" the Doctor shouted with glee, kneeling down to pet the dog's head.

                "Master, Mistress was not expecting you."

                "No, Sarah Jane was not.  Which means you have no business here." said a stuffy, male voice. 

                Clara spun around to face the enormous super-computer built into the wall from where the voice was emanating.  Now talking computers she was used to.  Most planets had voice interface systems.  What she wasn't used to was the bitchy attitude.   Normal robotic voices had no emotions whatsoever.

                "No one asked you." said the Doctor derisively.  "Just ignore him, Clara.  Mr. Smith always acts like this."

                She got the feeling he was trying to piss off the computer.  No wonder the Doctor loved visiting Sarah Jane.  She clearly lived in a mad house.

                "Master, everyone is downstairs." chirped K-9.   He rolled off leading the way. 

                Clara smiled and shook her head in amazement before following her husband and his robot dog.  When they reached the stairs a humming sound rumbled from K-9's center then he began to hover down the steps.

                "I didn't teach him that." said the Doctor, surprised.

                "Mistress upgraded me."

                "Apparently."

                Modernized versions of traditional songs floated up from the ground floor.  The kids probably picked out the music.  She doubted anyone else would have put on an electronic cover of Silent Night.  It was actually pretty good, but then Clara reasoned that she was probably going to be the youngest person there besides the kids.  That was a little weird.

                "Mistress!  Master is here!" cried K-9 announcing their presence.

                They stepped into the crowed and festively decorated living room.  Martha, Mickey, and Jack sat with Sarah Jane on the sofa.  Another couple with a small daughter sat across from them.  Luke, Clyde, Rani, and a girl Clara didn’t know, lounged on the floor playing games and eating junk food.

                "Oh shit!" said Jack when he saw the Doctor.

                "I know this new bow tie makes me look hot, but try to contain yourself Jack."

                A predator grin slid across Jack's handsome features, "I'm not sure I'll be able to."

                The Doctor turned red as Jack called his bluff.

                Clara giggled, "Unfortunately I'm not willing to share."

                "Pity.  Actually I was more concerned with the fact that it's Christmas and you're in London!"

                "Nothing is going to happen."

                Mickey groaned, "Well now something is definitely going to go wrong."  He pointed an accusing finger, "Name one time you were in London on Christmas and the world didn’t almost end."

                The Doctor didn't have an answer.

                Clara slapped his arm.  "Did you really just drag your pregnant wife to the end of days?"

                He glanced around in a panic for someone to save him from his hormonal spouse.  When no one did the Doctor used his best pleading look.  "Honey, I swear its fine."

                Clara gave him a pouty face, but didn’t argue further.  She decided to trust his judgment for the moment at least.

                "Well it's too late to turn back now." said Sarah Jane, standing to hug them.

                The Doctor easily lifted her off her feet making her laugh.  Once he set Sarah Jane down she turned to Clara.

                "Look at you!  You're absolutely glowing!"

                She grinned, "That’s nice to hear, but I feel more like an elephant than anything."

                The woman with the little girl snorted.  She had brunette hair and unusual but striking features.  "Now that’s a feeling I remember.  I'm Gwen Cooper by the way.   And this is my husband Rhys and our daughter Anwen.  You must be Clara."

                She recognized the name in connection with Jack.  "It's nice to meet you."  She did her best to curtsy with the baby weight.

                Gwen and Rhys both blinked in surprise.  "I guess you really are from the past."

                "I used to work as a governess.  Some things are ingrained."

                "She complains that I eat with the wrong fork." put in the Doctor.

                "You do."

                Everyone laughed as Sarah Jane grabbed a couple of extra seats.  Jack moved over so the pregnant woman could sit on the sofa.  Clara and the Doctor were introduced to Sky, Sarah Jane's adopted daughter.  She looked about 15, but just like with Luke appearances could be deceiving. 

                Sky and Rani both had fun trying to copy Clara's curtsy.  They even got Luke to try it.  Clyde threw popcorn at them by way of answer when the girls tried to get him to do it too.

                There was a lot of gossiping and retelling some of the Children of Time's more outrageous escapades.  Jack had them all in hysterics with a highly inappropriate narrative about one of his prison escapes involving a hooker and an airline pilot.  It sounded impossible, but knowing Jack it probably happened. 

                The Doctor, Jack, and Mickey were in the middle of singing 'O Christmas Tree' off key with paper crowns on their heads when the first gust hit the windows. 

                The glass raddled violently.   Clara thought it would break.  They watched as swirling dark clouds filled the sky blocking out the stars.  The wind howled.  The trees creaked.

                "What the hell…"

                _DONG!_

                The cloister bell chilled them to silence.  The TARDIS' most dire warning signal reverberated throughout the house.  No one breathed.

                _DONG!_

                The storm grew.  Wild and angry.  Engines whirled to life in the attic.

                "No! No! No!"

                The Doctor tore from the room breaking the shocked silence.   Clara dashed after him afraid of whatever was happing. 

                _DONG!_

                The bell rang out again echoing through the house.   The Doctor raced up the stairs shouting incoherently.   Clara couldn't keep up, not in her current condition.   The TARDIS engines whirled to life.   She reached the attic room in time to see the ship dematerialize.    He was still trying to force the door open when it vanished beneath his fingers.  

                Outside the sky turned black.

 


	28. Hostile Action Displacement System

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on posts will be in real time. I try to update at least once a week if not twice.

**~Hostile Action Displacement System~**

 

                The TARDIS was gone.  Clara stared uncomprehendingly at the now empty space.  What just happened?  Where did the ship go?  What the hell was going on?

                The Doctor was cursing in Gallifreyan.  She didn't have to understand his words to understand his tone.  He waved the sonic screwdriver around desperately.  It did nothing.

                "Foreign element detected.  Shields at 100 percent." intoned the computer, Mr. Smith.  

                Suddenly the black outside the window was replaced by criss-crossing green light.  It was like a net of electricity was pressed against the glass.  The massing darkness was still visible beyond the shield.   The net must be covering the whole house.

                Clara couldn't even ask what that meant.  Pregnancy and running up staircases didn't mix.  She couldn't catch her breath.  Her lungs burned and it felt like there was a white-hot knife jammed between her ribs.  Pressing a hand to her side Clara thought she might get sick.  Wither it was from adrenaline, fear, or exertion she didn't know.

                Less than a minute had passed since the TARDIS vanished.

                The Doctor spun around to stare out the window.  His eyes were wide and confused.    Clearly he didn't know what was going on either.   Maybe it was a sign of stress or just the fact that insanity was such a normal aspect of their lives, because Clara started laughing.  

                 It was actually more of a wheezing cough since she still couldn't breathe properly.   Her shoulders shook with hysterics.   The Doctor didn't know what to do.   That is until Clara's laughter turn to racking sobs.   He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple softly.   She pressed her face into his shirt shaking uncontrollably.   Clara didn't even know what was wrong with her.   It was like every emotion she had been suppressing since Sarra died in her arms was bubbling over.    The Doctor kept muttering soothing words and nonsense, holding her against his chest.    He was obviously freaked by this uncharacteristic display of emotion, but was handling it well.

                "I-I'm sorry." Clara gasped. 

                There wasn't time for this and she knew it.   Something crazy was going on outside and their home had just dematerialized to god knows where.   She hiccup and fought to get herself under control.   Eventually she pulled away from the Doctor's tear stain shirt feeling drained.   

                "I'm sorry." she repeated.

                Worry was clear on her husband's face.   He brushed his thumb across her cheek and whispered, "It's ok, Love.  There's nothing to be sorry about."

                Clara gave him a small grateful smile reassuring him she wasn't about to go to pieces again.  She wiped her eyes and glanced around.    Martha was standing in the doorway to the little attic.   It was clear from her expression she didn't want to intruded, but was concerned.   Clara flushed in embarrassment because Martha had probably followed them up and had been there the whole time. 

                Martha saw her blush and moved over to put a comforting hand on Clara's shoulder.  "I'm a doctor, believe me I get it." was all she said. 

                "Where is the TARDIS?" Clara asked wanting to change the subject.  It was a far more relevant topic than her delectate sensibilities at the moment anyway. 

                He rubbed the back of his neck looking uncomfortable.

                "What did you do?"

                He sighed in exasperation, "I reset the HADS…"

                "The what?"

                "The Hostile Action Displacement System.   When the TARDIS feels threatened she … removes herself from the situation." 

                Clara didn't like the sound of that.  "So where is she?"

                "Umm… probably the South Pole about now." the Doctor mumbled.

                "Well at least it's not the 1960's again." said Martha sarcastically.   She glanced at the electric net covering the window.  "And I think we have bigger fish."

                The Doctor frowned and nodded. 

                Clara walked over and tried to squint into the darkness outside.   She couldn't make out anything even though the houses were closely pressed together and yellow streetlamps lined the block.   There was simply nothing except the rolling mass of black.   And it did seem to be rolling and undulating like it was caught in a current.

                "It looks like some type of cloud." 

                "But a cloud of _what_?"

                A shout from downstairs startled all three of them.  "Guys you need to see this!"

                It was Luke who shouted.  He and the rest of the party guests were crowded around Sarah Jane's TV.   No one looked happy about whatever it was they were seeing.   Once Clara got closer she understood why.

                BBC London News was on and the only reason Clara knew that was because the scrolling banner at the bottom said so.    She had never actually seen a news program before, but she knew what one was.   She also knew that this was certainly not how the news normal worked.   Because there was no sound coming from the screen or much of anything else really.

                Instead the camera stayed focused on the two reporters lying face down on the large desk in front of them.   They were not moving.   It was hard to see because the black smoke was in the room with them, but it was being filtered by all the white stage lights.   The fact that the camera was still rolling made Clara think the operator was probably laying on the ground behind it. 

                "Are they dead?" Sky whispered, voicing everyone's thoughts.

                Sarah Jane put her arm around her daughter, "I don't know." 

                "What the fuck is this shit?" exclaimed Jack.

                 That was the other thing everyone was thinking. 

                All eyes turned to the Doctor expectantly.  He raised his nonexistent eyebrows incredulously. 

                "Oh _come on_!  You guys expect me to know everything?"

                "You usually say you do." pointed out Mickey.

                The Doctor shot him an irritated glare in response then his face fell.  "Not this time."

                The change in the atmosphere of the room was palpable.   They all might tease and give him grief, but when push came to shove they all believed the Doctor could deal with anything.   They were his companions and in their minds there was nothing he couldn't do. 

                Except age and hardship had chipped away much of the Doctor's blusterous attitude which allowed him to bluff his way through any situation.    He could still do anything, Clara knew that in the depths of her soul, but he no longer could charge grinning into the face of danger.   She took his hand in a simple comforting gesture. 

                "Look!" cried Clyde suddenly pointing to the TV screen.  "It's dissipating!"

                He was right.  The black cloud was thinning out.   It wasn't so much dissipating as it was flying away.  Clara shivered, it moved like it was alive.   They went to the large windows and saw that the cloud was doing the same there.   It swirled and twisted floating upwards.   They watched until the cloud disappeared all together vanishing into the upper atmosphere. 

                There was a loud beep as the green shield around the house came down.


	29. A World Asleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies!
> 
> I took forever to update again, but I figured you all would appreciate quality over quantity when it came to updates! :D
> 
> Enjoy XD

**~A World Asleep~**

 

                Walking outside the safety of 13 Bannerman road was like stepping into one of her nightmares.  Everything was eerily, unnaturally silent.   The only noise was the hum of the kilovolts passing through the power lines and the muted buzz of the TVs in the neighboring houses.   There was nothing else.  No voices talking or singing carols.  There were no dogs barking at phantom intruders.   Nothing.

                It was chilling but Clara wouldn't let any fear show on her face.  She had shed her tears today.  That was cathartic and necessary, but it was over.  Now she felt like herself again.   Clara could handle anything.  Even this, whatever _this_ was exactly. 

                Her breath was a white mist in the cold night air.   She shivered.   The Doctor, focused on the problem at hand, unconsciously moved closer to her as if to protect her from the chill.  That warmed her in a way no heat ever could.  Her husband loved her and would try to protect her from anything.  Without even thinking about it.

                No one said a word.  It was as if they were afraid to break the silence.  As if sound would make this nightmare real.  As much as Clara wished that was the way things worked, she knew better.  This was reality and there was no escaping it.

                Rani moved first.  She dashed across the green grass of Sarah Jane's front lawn towards the house next door.  That must be where her parents lived.  Clara hoped they had somehow been spared the effects of the black smoke. 

                Clyde, Rani's boyfriend, was right behind her practically kicking in the front door in their haste.  The rest of the group was right behind them.  Clara's eyes swept over the Chandra's front garden.  It was simple and well kept.  It didn't look like anything bad could happen here.

                The inside of the house was the same.  Clara found herself drawn to the pictures framed on the wall of the hallway.  Rani aged from an infant to a young woman in the space of a few feet, always accompanied by her smiling parents. 

                A shout from the back of the house grabbed her attention.  Clara ran to see what was wrong, heart pounding.  She rounded the corner into the sitting room and found the rest of her friends.  The sight before her eyes made her blood run cold.

                Rani was kneeling beside her parents' bodies, shaking them desperately. 

                "Mum!  Wake up!  Come on Dad, please!"

                Neither opened their eyes.  They remand limp and unresponsive.

                All Clara could see was Sarra.  Sarra gasping for breath.  Sarra chocking as her lungs filled with fluid.  The dark red blood running over Clara's hands, thick and hot.

                "They're not dead." Jack said.

                Clara snapped back to the percent.  Jack was checking Mrs. Chandra's pulse.  His brow was furrowed, blue eyes intense.  The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and ran the green light over both bodies.  The sonic whirling noise stopped and he checked the result. 

                Clara never really understood how that worked.  For all she or anyone else could see the Doctor was just staring at the metal instrument.  He tried to explain it once but Clara suspected you hand to be a Time Lord for it to make any sense.  Either way he apparently understood what the screwdriver was telling him.

                "You're right they're not dead."

                "Then what's wrong with them?" Rani demanded.

                "They're sleeping." explained the Doctor.   His expression was torn between concern and curiosity.  "Technically their bodies are fine except I just can't wake them up."

                "What do we do?" Mickey asked.

                Martha took Jack's place examining the sleeping couple.  She was the only medical doctor of the group so it was her opinion which really mattered.  Clara watched with growing apprehension as Martha's deft fingers flew over the bodies.  Checking the pulse, pupil dilation, and muscle response.

                They both responded to touch, recoiling away and murmuring indistinctly.  Martha's eyebrows raised.  Clearly that was a result she wasn't expecting.  She frowned and looked up at the Doctor.

                "It's not a coma; they're actually deep in the REM cycle.  There's no logical medical reason that they shouldn't awaken easily.  I can't explain it."

                Rani's normally tan skin was ashen.  "But they'll be okay right?"

                "I just don't know." Martha sighed, "But the human body isn't meant to exist like this.  Eventually they'll need food and water."

                Clyde put his arms around Rani's shoulders.  "We'll figure it out.  We always do."

                She nodded looking unconvinced.

                Jack, Rhys, and Mickey carried the Chandra's up to their bedroom.  Even if they were unconscious they deserved to be somewhat comfortable.   And lying on the floor was less than dignified.   The rest of the group went from house to house down the street.  It seemed they were the only ones still awake.  Even the animals were out of it. 

                Just how big was this thing?  London?  England?  _The world_?  Was the even possible?  Clara dreaded to think.  She stared out into the night trying to imagine it.  She simply couldn't.  A world asleep.    

                They regrouped in front of Sarah Jane's house.  Jack, Gwen, and the Doctor began listing technologies, both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial, that could have caused anything like the black smoke.  Clara got the impression they were grasping at straws.

                Hazel kicked vehemently in agreement.  Clara couldn't hold back a gasp as she nearly doubled over.  Her daughter just kept getting stronger.  The Doctor grabbed her and placed a hand at Clara's back steadying her.

                "Are you okay?"

                Clara gave him a tight smile.  It felt like she was going to have yet another bruise.  That was nothing compared to their current problem.  And Clara was used to dealing with pain.   She would do anything; suffer anything for her baby because there was nothing Clara loved more than the tiny life growing inside her.   Still she didn’t know of anyone who had nearly so uncomfortable a pregnancy.

                "You don't have to be strong all the time." the Doctor whispered so only Clara could hear. 

                He kissed her temple softly.  She leaned into him, her island in the storm.   Martha was watching her carefully.  Clara shook her head at her friend indicating there was nothing to worry about.  She was fine.   And she was, Hazel had stilled her movement and stopped kicking. 

                Everyone jumped when Jack's, Martha's, Mickey's, and Gwen's cell phones rang simultaneously.   The shrill and beeping ringtones were deafening in the quiet of the cold December night.   They echoed off the houses and the pavement.   What was most unnerving was the fact that they were ringing at all.   Who else could be wake to even call them?

                Jack answered his smart phone in his 'professional' voice.  The other three did the same.  Clara focused on what Jack was saying.

                  "Captain Harkness.   Yes, we've noticed.   I've got a group of 13 live ones here.   Yes, Ma'am I understand. "  Jack glanced at the Doctor.  "There's no need Ma'am, he's right here.  Thank you, Ma'am."

                He hung up and slipped the phone back into the inside pocket of his WWII overcoat.   Clara and the Doctor waited expectantly to find out what was going on.

                "That was Kate.   The shielding around U.N.I.T. headquarters protected anyone still inside.   Of course since its Christmas most personnel were only on-call not on-site.   Luckily Kate had just stepped in to drop off some paperwork, ten minutes earlier and she'd be lights out too.   They're sending a chopper to pick us up." 

                Clara couldn't help a flutter of excitement at the thought.  She had never seen a helicopter in person before, much less road in one. 

                 It took less than ten minutes for their rides to arrive.   Two black choppers came down one after the other to land on the asphalt of Bannerman road.    They didn't look like normal helicopters at all; clearly someone had been messing with alien tech. 

                The false wind of the spinning blades threatened to uproot to trees and blow out windows.   The blades themselves though were significantly smaller than they should have been allowing the crafts to land without taking out the power lines.  Clara suspected they had boosted the power with some kind of anti-gravity or hover attachment.  

                Soldiers in dark uniforms and red berates helped them up and into their seats.   They were so neat, orderly, and serious that Clara could hardly tell them apart.   She could see that none of the men were happy about the amount of teens, and children in their group.   Especially when they noticed they also had a pregnant woman to deal with.   They were probably hoping for more soldiers and not civilians. 

                "Are we headed to U.N.I.T  HQ?" the Doctor shouted over the noise. 

                "No sir, we have orders to take you to Buckingham Palace."

               


	30. Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings lovely readers!
> 
> 200 pages on word! First off I just gotta say thank you, I could never have gotten this far without all your wonderful support! You're all amazing 3
> 
> Second, I've decided to shorten this story because I don't want to be that author that drags things on way too long. So there should be less than 10 chapters until the ending. I can't give an exact number just yet, but I do know what's going to happen so it should be smooth sailing ;)
> 
> Hope you're having a fantastic week
> 
> Allon-sy! :D

**~Meetings~**

 

                Their arrival at the Palace was like something out of a bad action flick.   Including a dramatic helicopter entrance and a lot of soldiers running around toting guns and shouting into walkie-talkies.    There was even rotating, flashing, orange lights.   A speaker announcing they were now Defcon 1 wouldn't have seemed at all out of place.   Of course this was Buckingham Palace and not NORAD so that didn't happen.  

                Less than two seconds after the thought passed Clara's mind the sound system crackled to life, blaring over the front lawn. 

                 "Current Threat Level is Severe."

                It was certainly less dramatic than the innocuous American numbers, but it did get the point across.   It sent a chill down her spine.   Clara wondered absently if she should blame her husband's love of Earth 1980's movies for how much those words freaked her out.    Provided they survived this she probably wouldn't ever be able to watch _Wargames_ again. 

                A group of armed personal hurried them from the clear space of grass they'd landed on towards the building.   They ran heads bowed against the force of the spinning blades.  The soldiers were terse and demanding, moving quickly as though they were currently under heavy fire.

                  One man grabbed Clara's upper arm roughly dragging her forward.   Before she could protest the Doctor removed his hand from her in a move so fast she didn't see it.   The solider took one look at his face then wisely stepped back.   The Doctor kept a firm grip on her as they jogged across the lawn.   Clara knew this wasn't a time to argue, but she didn't like being manhandled even by him.   She didn't need a guard dog. 

                Once inside they were directed to an overly fancy version of a meeting room.   The Doctor seemed to know his way around the Palace without help.   Clara knew he had quite the sorted history with the royal family, in the past and future, so that wasn't too surprising.  She did hope they'd gotten over the whole 'arrest on site' policy they had for the Doctor.   That could make this meeting awkward.

                The Palace itself seemed quite nice, much like she'd always imagined it as a young girl.  Ornate but not overstated displays of wealth.   Gilded picture frames and roses in cut crystal vases.   Even in the current turmoil Clara could appreciate its beauty.     The meeting room was no exception.   A long mahogany table with curved legs filled most of the space.   The matching chairs with flora cushions that lined it were almost already full when they arrived. 

                Clara recognized Kate and a few other members of U.N.I.T. that she had met before.   Everyone else was a stranger.   Her eyes fell on the grim faced old woman at the head of the table.   Even without being told Clara knew who she was standing before.   The woman's baring and they way everyone else in the room looked at her was enough to make it perfectly obvious this was Queen Elizabeth.  

                Despite her expression the Queen didn't look much like her Victorian counterpart.   She wore pink and the lines around her eyes indicated she smiled often.   She reminded Clara of King Gurun that she'd meet so long ago.   The people sitting closest to the Queen, Clara assumed, must be the rest of the royal family or at least those who had escaped the cloud.   An elderly gentleman and a young man with reddish hair sat to her right.   Across from them was another man with reddish hair and a young woman cradling a baby. 

                The old woman raised her eyebrows when she saw the Doctor.  "You look older."  she said.

                "Interesting most people say I look younger."

                "I do not mean your face."

                The Doctor nodded solemnly, "It's good to see you Lizzy."

                The grim demeanor broke slightly as the Queen chuckled.  "You got to get away with calling me that when I was twelve not so much anymore."

                "So _you’re_ the Doctor?" blurted out the younger red hair man who was watching the exchange with interest.  

                "You must be Harry and William."  The Doctor glanced from the two young men to the beautiful woman holding the baby, "And you're Kate and that's Mary.  Or wait?  George, that's right George comes first.  Ummm…forget I mentioned a Mary."

                The woman's eyes widened and her husband started laughing. 

                "You're exactly the way the stories describe you." William said.

                "I'll take that as a complement." the Doctor grinned cheekily, "Peoples of the British Monarchy and other noble things therein I'd like you to meet by wife Clara Oswald."

                Clara turned red at her husband's flippant disregard for propriety.  She bowed her head and gave the most elegant curtsy she could mange without losing her balance.   "You're Highnesses, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

                "The pleasure is all mine, wife of the Doctor." said Elizabeth.   She turned to one of the staff, expression switching back to that of a Queen.    "Now that we are assembled it is time to begin." 

                "Yes, Ma'am." 

                The man pulled out a remote and aimed at the back wall of the meeting room.  There was the sound of a small motor turning then a screen came down from the ceiling.   A projector hummed to life and an image of Earth filled the white screen.   The land masses were all colored red rather than the usual green. 

                Before anyone could comment a troupe of scientists complete with white lab coats filed into the room.    The one in front, a man with salt-and-pepper hair, was carrying a metal briefcase.    He placed it on the table in front of the Royal family.   Everyone leaned forward as he undid the clasps with two loud clicks.   Clara didn't know what she was expecting but she was slightly disappointed when the lid pulled back to reveal a glass bottle nestled in foam.   

                That is until Clara saw what was in the bottle.   Black smoke swirled and undulated inside the glass as if searching for a way out.   The scientist lifted it out gingerly and held it up for the room to see. 

                "What is it?" Kate Middleton asked, instinctively pulling her son closer to her body. 

                "We are not sure, Ma'am.  But it appears to be sentient."

                The Doctor stood up and moved around the table for a better look.   He had the same expression of scientific interest as the man holding the bottle.   Whipping out his sonic screwdriver, he asked, "May I?"

                The man nodded and handed it over.    The moment the Doctor passed the green light over the particles they began to whirl around in their glass prison violently.   An expression of shock flitted around his features when he read the results.   Clara ignored the increasing fluttering movement in her abdomen and leaned forward to hear him. 

                "No wonder I didn't know what was going on, I thought this species died out ages ago!"  he cried.  "They're Vaynites!"

                "Vay-whats?" Jack asked. 

                "Vaynites.   Tiny organisms that exist in a hive-mind swarm.  They feed off brain energy leaving their victims in a state of living death.   They used to move from planet to planet wreaking havoc, that’s what took out your dinosaurs, I know everyone blames the comet but that came later."

                "So they're gone?"

                "They got what they wanted." said the Doctor.  "There's no reason for them to stick around after they've fed."

                Clara rubbed at her belly; Hazel's movements were starting to hurt again.  She glanced at the world map still on the screen.  "Have they really affected the entire Earth?"

                The tan-skinned scientist's calm demeanor faltered.  He sighed, "As far as we can tell."

                "Verifying the statuses' of other nations has been understandably difficult." said a woman in a business suit.  "We haven't been able to get anyone on the phone.   The White House has the same shielding as the Palace so hopefully we'll be able to make contact with them soon."

                "We need to find a way to wake people up." Martha put in, "I know we all have loved ones out there and I think they should be our first priority." 

                The Doctor shot her a proud smile.  "I second the motion!"

                Queen Elizabeth agreed but with a glance at her little great-grandson added, "The children should get some rest while we discuss options." 

                Luke, Sky, Rani, and Clyde all looked like they wanted to protest.  

                Sarah Jane cut them off, "A few hours at least, you can't help anyone if you're burnt out." 

                None of them looked happy but arguing with Sarah Jane and the Queen of England was impossible.  Except Gwen and the Duchess whose young children were both up way past their bed times.   A staff member offered to show them to the guest quarters promising to wake the teens if anything important happened.  

                "You should get some rest too."  Martha said gently to Clara.  "You can't afford to wear yourself out." 

                Clara hated the idea, she didn't want to be sidelined or treated like the other women from her time.   She wanted to stay here and help.  Though if she was being honest a short nap sounded marvelous.   Maybe it would get her daughter to settle down.  The pain was starting to get hard to ignore. 

                The Doctor shot her a pleading look begging her to follow Martha's instructions.  He could clearly see what carrying his child was doing to Clara and he didn't want her to make it any worse for herself.   Clara sighed in defeat, not agreeing out of deference to her own health but for Hazel's.   Clara needed to protect her.  

                Clara was pulling herself to her feet to follow the rest of the group out of the room when something went horribly wrong.   She straightened her spine and a sharp pain slashed across her abdomen.   It felt like a white-hot knife had been jabbed deep into her belly.  

                She knew in that moment her daughter was going to die.


	31. Sweet Dreams are Made of This

**~Sweet Dreams Are Made of This~**

 

               

                All Clara could feel was pain.   Her body was on fire.   Then she could feel nothing at all.

                                _It was very cold. She was lying in a field of broken glass.  It was so cold. The shards were stabbing into her skin.  Clara sat up staring out into the endless darkness.  The hammering of her heart was deafening, every breath echoed.  There was something she needed to do.  There was someone who needed her._

_Clara knew this place.  She had been here before.  This is where she always came.  This was where her nightmares took her.   Getting up, Clara waited.  The only color was the blood running from the cuts in her feet.  Her white dress rustled in the icy breeze._

_"You're still too early." said a voice. "And you're still too late."_

_Clara turned to her younger self, the one from the photograph.  The one who wasn't her.  "You've said that before.  What is this place?"_

_"My future and your past, or maybe it's the other way around." said the young Clara._

_"If this is my past why don't I remember?"_

_The girl looked at her sadly, "You do.  Why else would I be here?"_

_Clara and her younger self watched each other for a long time in silence.  She wanted to understand.  She needed to understand._

_Clara was in the backseat of a car.  They were passing over a bridge.   She screamed as it careened out of control slamming into the barrier.  Her body was weightless as they plunged towards the icy waters below._

_She was a child running down a hallway.  The Forman's drunken footsteps pounded behind her.  The other girls had warned Clara.  She couldn't let him catch her.  A large hand covered her mouth cutting off her screams._

_Clara was in a ship.  Sirens blared as the crew yelled orders.  They were crashing, falling from the sky.  The Captain called for an emergency landing.  She strapped herself in preparing for impact._

_She was in so many places.  She was in so many times.  She was always running.  And the darkness always found her.   She never escaped.  She felt it a thousand times over; death.  Her bones shattering in an accident.  An illness draining her away.  A man's hands on her throat and body._

_Clara never escaped._

_But it hadn't happened yet.   She knew that.   She hadn't reached the field of glass yet.  But the rest of them had._

_"You're too early and you're too late." repeated the other Clara.  "But then time can always be rewritten."_

_As she spoke the younger Clara began to fade away.  They all did.  Every Clara began to fade away.   The world of glass dissolved around her._

_And Clara faded too._

***

                Humans said that time slowed down in moments of great stress.  The Doctor didn't know about that, his brain didn't work that way so that wasn't something he had ever experienced.  Not until that day.

                Clara was pale and dark circles ringed her eyes.  She was so tired and weak these days.  And she was stubborn refusing to believe anything was wrong.  The Doctor did his best to hide his growing fear.  He had only just got her back and now Clara was slipping away from him again.

                He smiled in relief when she agreed to get some rest.  No matter what Clara told herself, his brave, beautiful wife wasn't in the condition to act like her usual gung-ho self.  She was as breakable as porcelain. 

                Clara started to get up than froze.  Her back hunched.  Her fists clenched, knuckles turning white.   The blood drained from her face.  The Doctor felt like he was watching from the end of a long tunnel.  Unable to speak or move in time, he watched horrified.  Clara let out a small gasp of pain then crumpled to the floor.

                Time switched to hyper speed.  She hit the ground with a small insignificant sound which shattered his world.  The Doctor flew across the room dropping to his knees beside her.   Clara began to seize.  Her back arched past the point which should be humanly possible.

                "Clara! Clara!"

                The Doctor held onto her shoulders trying desperately to stop her from injuring herself further.  Clara let out a scream of unbearable pain and seized again.  She didn't seem to be able to see or hear him.  Blood seeped from her palms where her nails were cutting into the skin.  He had no idea what was happening. 

                "Doctor, move!" ordered Martha, shoving him none too gently to the side.   She scanned Clara, her years of medical training allowing her to see the problem.  "I need adrenaline! Now!"   

                There was a nuclear bunker hidden below the palace which had its own small medical station.  It wasn't much but it was all they had.  What they really needed was the TARDIS. 

                _Why did she abandon him now?_   the Doctor lamented as he ran alongside the gurney carrying his wife.   Half way there Clara finally stopped screaming.   She seized one last time before collapsing back against the gurney.  Now she lay there limp and despondent. 

                As soon as they reached the room Martha was shouting orders to the two nurses on staff.  She ripped a syringe with a needle several inches long from its wrapping.  Grim determination was the only expression on Martha's face as she jabbed the needle into her friend's chest and unloaded the adrenaline into Clara's heart.  They held her down as her muscles contracted in response to the drug.  She didn't open her eyes.

                "We're losing her."

                The Doctor scanned his wife's body with the sonic.  There had to be something he could do.  His hearts stopped when he read the results.  Clara's organs were failing.  _Both_ of their organs were failing.  Her body simply couldn't support Hazel.  He was going to lose them both.

                Everyone else was a blur, movement around him that the Doctor was oblivious to.  They kept working and rushing around.  He couldn't move.  He couldn't leave her side.  Standing beside the gurney he memorized Clara's features.   Normally full of life and laughter her face was cold and despondent.  A beautiful statue cut from marble.

                  He touched the cool skin of her cheek softly.   She was so perfect, perfect for him in every way.  Clara gave him hope when he had lost all hope in everything.  But now the Doctor saw it was only the universe playing with him yet again.  It gave him the chance at a family and happiness only to take it away at the last second. 

                He should have known better.

                The monitor behind him flat lined.  The harsh, unfeeling sound silenced the room.  It didn't care about the living or the dead.  It didn't care about loved ones left behind or dreams lost.  It was a machine which rang out with uncaring finality. 

                The Doctor leaned down to kiss Clara's soft lips.  There was no response, no breath, no warmth.  He remembered the first time she kissed him when she followed him up to his cloud.  It was like seeing the light for the first time in centuries.   When Clara whispered she loved him, he knew he was saved.  She was all he would ever want again.  Even if the Doctor lived for the rest of eternity the only woman he could ever love was Clara.

                "Please, I need you."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't kills me!!! *Runs and hides*  
> umm...review?


	32. Endings and Beginnings

**~Endings and Beginnings~**

 

                No one knew what to do.   The monitors flat lined and the Doctor stood leaning over the gurney cradling his pregnant wife.   It was a horrific scene.   The most powerful and most feared being in the universe broken, completely broken.   Clara hung limp in his arms.   Her lips parted slightly, hair spilling out around her.  

                Martha kicked into gear.   She forced down all her personal feelings and focused on her training. "We still might be able to save the baby. Doctor you need to step aside now."

                He either didn't hear her or was beyond understanding.   He just held Clara's lifeless body closer.   Feeling terrible yet determined Martha grabbed his arm intending the drag the Doctor out of her way.   He could be angry with her later; right now she needed to save Hazel.   Because there was still a slim chance this would work and Martha wasn't going to waste it.  No sooner had she touched the Doctor's arm than something truly miraculous happened. 

                Clara's body began to glow.

                Golden light flooded over her pale skin, like sparks of glittering electricity.   It was beautiful and blinding.   The Doctor opened his eyes in shock as the light seared through his closed lids.  He let out a gasp.   The golden energy danced over his wife's body.   Burning heat radiated throughout the room as it intensified.   Martha was forced to step back.

                "What's happening?" she breathed. 

                The Doctor didn't answer.  He waved the sonic screwdriver, which he still had in his hand, over Clara.   Checking the results his face split into a wide, amazed grin.   The golden energy concentrated over her chest then suddenly the heart monitor beeped.   

                "They're fighting it." the Doctor murmured. 

                Clara's heart rate continued to climb bringing her back from death.   She took in a shuttering gasp.  She was still unconscious but she was alive and she was breathing.   Martha stood there dumbfounded.  Never in all her years had she ever seen anything like this. 

                "It's Time Energy, isn't it?"

                The Doctor finally looked at her and she could see the tears running down his face.  First grief they were now tears of pure joy.   Martha had never found this regeneration of him handsome until that moment.  Love and wonder will do that to a person's features. 

                He nodded, "It's Hazel.  She's stabilizing them.  She's healing Clara."

                Only the Doctor could get close to Clara.  He seemed immune to the burning effects of the golden light.   Holding her hand and stroking her cheek, he murmured things Martha couldn't hear.   And she didn't want to, this was a private moment and she felt like an intruder.   Martha averted her gaze and wiped away the tears she didn't realize were running down her face. 

                Slowly the light began to recede.   The heat in the tiny room dissipated.   The last of the golden sparks of energy faded from Clara's skin leaving her sleeping peacefully.   Color was back in her cheeks, her chest rose and fell steadily, and the heart monitor kept a perfect rhythm.  It was impossible to tell the woman had been clinically dead less than five minutes ago. 

                Martha, as relived as she was, knew that they were only in the calm at the eye of the storm.  Clara's heart might be beating again, but it didn't change the fact her body wasn't able to support Hazel.  Martha hated that this fell on her.  She worked with aliens and trauma patents not babies.   Though there was no one else with the ability to do this so she would have to step up to the plate. 

                "Doctor, we're going to have to perform a C-section.  When need to get your daughter out now."

                The two nurses on, who were still in understandable states of shock, looked even more nervous than he did.  They were professionals though and moved up to help Martha.  The Doctor reluctantly allowed himself to be ushered out of the way.   He stood in the corner of the room watching his wife like a hawk.  It seemed as though the Doctor thought that if he stopped concentrating Clara's heart would fail again. 

***

                Clara opened her eyes and blinked at the white industrial ceiling tiles above her head.     _Why would anyone use those_ , was her first thought, they're _ugly_.   She hoped this wasn't heaven because it would be very depressing if heaven used such ugly interior decorating.   Then Clara wondered why she even cared.

                After another second reality set in.  She remembered.  The field of glass, the other Claras, and dying.  Clara remembered dying.   She faded away and her last thought was of the daughter she would never see.  The daughter who was going to die with her.   Hazel.

                "Clara?  Love, can you hear me?"

                The sound of the Doctor's voice made her want to cry.  _Could she really be alive?_   Her muscles were slow to respond.  She turned her head and smiled up at her husband.  Her body felt numb and sluggish.   It didn't matter one bit, because nothing compared to how she felt seeing him smiling down at her.   

                "Yeah." she managed.

                The Doctor's smile was the brightest smile she'd ever seen.   Clara's eyes let his face and finally took in the bigger picture.   He was holding a bundle of fabric, cradling it gently against his chest.   A tiny hand with minuscule fingers and nails curled over the side gripping the edge of the blanket.    Clara couldn't breathe. 

                "We have a daughter." the Doctor said simply.  He carefully gave the little bundle to her.  "Hazel Sara Susan Oswald it's time you met your mother."

                "She's so small for so many names." Clara whispered in awe. 

                Hazel was fast asleep and very much alive.  Clara held her close afraid she would break.   She was so beautiful and fragile.   She marveled at Hazel's every detail.  From her little button nose and rosy cheeks, to the few wisps of dark hair curling on her head. 

                "We made this."

                The Doctor chuckled, "She's perfect and she's beautiful just like her mother."

                Sitting down he snuggled in next to Clara on the small hospital bed she had been moved to.  He kissed her temple and then her lips. 

                "I love you." he whispered against her mouth. 

                Clara smiled and leaned into him.   "I love you too."

                Hazel made a soft sound distracting them both.   She yawned and wiggled in her blankets.  Her tiny hand unfurled then wrapped around Clara's finger.   Her heart constricted so much it almost hurt.  Hazel's fingers barely fit around her own.   That little hand was now the center of Clara's world.   It was the end of one life and the beginning of another.    

                Now Clara was a mother. 


	33. Because I Could Not Stop For Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings my lovelies!
> 
> I'm going to be in New York for a week so updates might not happen for a bit (sorry). This chapter was going to be longer but I decided to give you all something rather than make you wait forever without explanation.
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. The title of this chapter is an Emily Dickson poem. If you haven't noticed a lot of my chapters are references.
> 
> Enjoy !

**~Because I Could Not Stop For Death~**

 

                Clara watched the Doctor moving back and forth across the room.   He checked monitors, did scans, and read results with manic energy.    It was starting to make her dizzy.   Hazel, on the other hand, seemed determined to sleep the day away cradled in her mother's arms.  Clara wondered if all babies were this easy going or if it was a Time Lord thing.  

                Martha and Sarah Jane had come in to keep her company while the Doctor did whatever it was he was doing.   If Clara wasn't tired she probably would throw something at his head to get him to stop.   It wasn't that he was ignoring her or anything.  Every few minutes he would grin like an idiot and come over to kiss her and Hazel.   But he said he needed to run tests.   Whatever that meant.

                "They finally made contact with the White House." Sarah Jane said.  "It’s the same situation across the pond as well." 

                "I sure chose the worst time to have a baby." Clara chuckled. 

                "Child of the Doctor, what can you expect?"

                "You do realize I can hear you?" the Doctor muttered without looking up. 

                The women ignored him while trying not to laugh. 

                "Have they come up with a plan?" Clara asked.

                Martha shook her head, "Some of U.N.I.T.s scientist were talking about sending some kind of signal to people's brains, but I don't see any feasible way to do that to _everyone_."

                "They're working on it." Sarah Jane assured, "That's the only reason you haven't had the whole palace down here to meet Hazel yet.   I know for a fact Jack's about ready to jump out of his skin with impatience." 

                "In fact we should probably be getting back there."  Martha said reluctantly.   She smiled down at little Hazel. 

                "I understand." 

                "We'll come and check in on you later."

                Both women said their goodbyes before heading back up to the palace.   Clara felt a pang of regret.  She wanted to help and she _knew_ they need the Doctor's help.   No one dared ask him to leave Clara's room, no one was that foolish.   He'd bite their heads off.   That didn't change the fact that he was needed though.   Clara wasn't sure if she could convince him to go, no matter how much she wanted him with her. 

                She was about to say something when the Doctor dropped the printout he was holding.  Papers covered in squiggly lines flew everywhere.    He just stood there for a moment staring at a fixed point in space.   It looked like he was going into shock.

                "Doctor?  Honey what is it?"  Clara demanded urgently.   He was starting to scare her.  "What's wrong?"

                Slowly the Doctor turned to face her.   His eyes were wide as saucers.  "Your blood … it's…."

                Clara clutched her baby tighter.  "What?  My blood is what?"

                His face was pure awe as the corners of his mouth lifted into an amazed smile.   "It's been infused with Time Energy." 

                "What does that mean?"  She wasn't sure if that was good or bad. 

                The Doctor moved to her bedside and took her hands in his.   "It means your biological clock's been slowed.   You're now ageing at a near imperceptible rate."  

                "What?"

                "When you were healed your body absorbed some of the energy.   It slowed your aging.  You could live for centuries."

                It took a minute for the magnitude of that to sink in.  Her aging was slowed.   She could stay with him.  They could live their lives together.  She wouldn't have to leave her husband.   Clara felt dizzy.  This was too much on top of everything else.  

                The Doctor's expression turned concerned.   He tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and then tilted her chin to look up at him.  "Clara, Love, are you alright?  I thought this would make you happy?"

                "Of course it does!" she said quickly. 

                 She was hurting the father of her child with her reaction, and Clara never wanted that.   She was just shocked.   The realization that she could have something she wanted but never considered a possibility was a lot to take in.    Clara could see that he was still unsure if she was telling the truth.   Determined to prove, beyond a doubt, what getting more time with him meant to her, Clara used her free arm to pull his mouth down to hers.   

                She kissed him with everything she had, pouring every emotion into her lips moving against his.   Without losing contact the Doctor sat down on the edge of the mattress.  His hand found the back of her neck pulling Clara even deeper into the kiss.   Warmth spread through every inch of her body as his tongue skated hers.

                  Clara was going to stay with this strange, beautiful, perfect man forever.   And they would always be _this._

***

                "You need to help them." Clara urged. 

                "I need to be with my family."  said the Doctor watching Clara tickle Hazel's little feet.   She burbled and squirmed, tiny toes wiggling.  "I need to be with you."

                "Then take me with you."

                "What?  You're supposed to be recovering!" he cried in disbelief, "You died today!  You had a baby!"

                Clara rolled her eyes, "I'm not proposing running a marathon.   If you won’t go up there without me, than I guess I have to come too.   Just find me a wheelchair or something.  You've already removed my scaring with the sonic, I'll be fine."

                The Doctor groaned, "Stop being so logical it makes you hard to argue with."

                She laughed, "I'd have thought you would've given up on that a long time ago." 

                He glowered but went to find a wheelchair.   Clara held Hazel as the Doctor carefully lifted them out of the bed and set her in the chair.   She really shouldn't have been able to move, but she was fine.   A little sore, a little tired, and that was it.   Her body had no indication of what it had gone through in the last 24 hours.   Between the Time Energy and the sonic screwdriver there wasn't much left to heal. 

                Everyone was surprised and relived to see Clara.  News of her death and subsequent dramatic return to life and already gone round.   Many of the staff and scientists were openly staring at her and her half-human baby.   She didn't care.   Clara smiled proudly as everyone came over to meet the newest addition to their, as Vastra would say, 'temporally dysfunctional family'. 

                "I claim godfather!" Jack grinned.

                "Hey." Mickey said indignantly.

                "I'm immortal, trump that." he said smugly while taking his turn holding Hazel. 

                Clara laughed, "I thought that was our call."

                The Doctor just looked horrified, "Oh hell no!  You are the most irresponsible, hazardous person in the universe!"

                "No that’s you."

                He gaped at Jack unable to think of a comeback.

                "You really can't argue with the whole being unable to die thing." Clara pointed out, enjoying messing with her husband.  Actually she thought Jack would make a good godfather.  If anything tried to hurt Hazel he would just blow them up. 

                "You should've warned me about all this." the Doctor muttered under his breath.

                "What?" asked Jack.

                "Nothing."

                "Then it's settled!"

                The Doctor rolled his eyes in mock exasperation.  "You're going to be a terrible influence."

                Jack winked,   "Now let's save the world."


	34. Solutions and Signals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kicks down your front door* GUESS WHO'S BACK, BITCHES! *Hastily tries to put your door back together* Sorry...
> 
> Between vacation and life in general this update took forever. And for that I feel bad. So the last few, probably massive sized, chapters until the end will be coming to you in quicker succession!
> 
> On a side note: I've been toying with the idea for writing a real novel inspired by 'In the Autumn of Terror', what do you guys think? Am I crazy or not?
> 
> Anyway on with the story!
> 
> Enjoy! :D

 

 

 

 

 

                "Doctor it is an honor to meet you and from what I understand congratulations are in order." said President Obama via the video link which had been set up in the conference room.

                Clara thought the man looked tired.  Dark circles ringed his eyes that were dim and weighted.    She felt a pang of sympathy; she would never want to deal with the stress of running a country.  It drove you into the ground.  Her life was stressful enough thank you ever much.  Though Obama and Queen Elizabeth both acted like they had everything under control.   It was impressive even if it was only a front. 

                "Thanks." the Doctor said rocking Hazel in his arms.   The smile in his eyes died as he focused on the situation at hand.  "So someone said something about using electrical signals?"

                "Yes, sir." broke in a nervous young scientist.  "Presumably with enough stimulation sent to the right centers of the brain the subject should be pulled out of the REM cycle." 

                "We've got a subject ready to test it on." said Sarah Jane, "The problem is that even if it works we still have no conceivable way to administer the stimulus to everyone everywhere."

                "But first we should focus on getting the process to work."  said Harry with a nod of agreement from his brother.

                "Who've you got to test it on?"

                "One of our agents who'd been patrolling the roof during the time of the attack."

                "What if you're wrong about this?  Have you considered that?" Clara asked concerned, "What if your experiment hurts him or worse?"

                She didn't miss the Doctor's smile at her words.   He was always proud when she did something 'human' as he would call it.   Clara didn't see how common decency was limited to her species.  She just didn't want some poor sap to get his brain fried without he's even getting any say-so in the matter.

                Elizabeth obviously could see what Clara was thinking.  "He swore to do anything to protect the crown."   Then in a less severe tone added, "Though, I've been assured he will suffer no damage."   

                Despite her reassurances Clara still wasn't too keen on the idea; she didn’t like risking people's safety.  But then what other option did they have?  Sitting around twiddling their thumbs wouldn't help anyone.  And now nearly a full day had passed since the Vaynites sent everyone to dreamland.  Humans could only last a few days without water, not to mention that a lot of people were going without desperately needed medical attention because of this.  It was one of those rock and a hard place moments.

                "Ok then." she said, giving her husband a small nod.

                The Doctor rubbed his hands together in anticipation, "Let's do this thing."

                "I'm glad you're onboard." said the voice of the salt-and-pepper haired scientist from earlier.  His image popped up alongside Obama's.  The screen indicated he was at U.N.I.T. in laboratory 42.  "Good afternoon Mr. President, I'm Carlos Vale."

                The President, who could see the lab on his own screen, said "Are you ready to test your hypothesis, Mr. Vale?"

                Carlos re-angled the camera so they could see an athletic looking man strapped to a table.  He had wires and electrodes taped all over his close cropped head.   The wires connected to a series of expensive looking machines and monitors surrounding the table.   Clara couldn't help thinking of Frankenstein's monster.  Why did everything come back to Mary Shelly in the end?  It was the human stand in for the unknown. 

                Indicating a monitor where the patient's brain was shown with different areas lit up in green, Carlos said, "Using a wavelength signal I'm going to attempt to stimulate the hypothalamus region of the subject's brain.  If successful we will temporarily gain control of the brain and force the subject into a conscious state."

                "Mind control?" questioned Gwen, mouth twisting in distaste.

                "It's an extreme oversimplification, but essentially yes."

                "That's not unnerving at all." muttered Prince Harry under his breath.

                Clara agreed.  She wondered when exactly U.N.I.T. had come up with that and why.  

                "Are we ready?" Carlos asked someone off screen.  Clara couldn't hear the response but it must have been positive because the scientist smiled in grim determination.  "Alright then, let's make history."

                Everyone watched in silent, intense, concentration as Carlos hit a series of buttons on a keyboard.   Several monitors made a bunch of loud beeping noises.   Different sections of the agent's brain lit up as the signal passed from the electrodes to his central cortex.   It lasted about 30 seconds.  Then the hypothalamus stayed glowing green as most of the other sections returned to normal.

                There was a long beat.

                The man's eyes fluttered open and he yawned. 

                Everyone started cheering and clapping.  Hearing the noise the agent sat up quickly, hands reaching for a holster which wasn't there.  He glanced around in confusion.  His wide-eyed expression was almost comical.

                "It's ok, you're safe." reassured the Carlos placing a hand on the man's shoulder, "You're at U.N.I.T."

                "How the fuck did I get here?"

                "Helicopter." said Carlos simply as if that explained everything.  

                Which of course it didn't.

                Poor Agent Butcher was given a strong cup of tea and a shock blanket as the day's event were related to him.  He looked a little embarrassed to find out he'd been taken down by what was essentially a bunch of bugs.  It probably wasn't good for his macho man ego.   However, he merely nodded and grimaced, taking a seat in the corner to await further instructions. 

                Once people were done congratulating each other over the success of an experiment, which less than half of them understood anyway, the real challenge set in.   How were they supposed to do this to _everyone_?  Theories went round and round from both sides of the pond, none of which were feasible.   This was starting to seem impossible.

                "What about a sonic pulsar?" Clara put in.   She was just spit-balling at this point.

                "The materials to build that aren't even in this galaxy."

                "Humm."

                A half-hour later and they were still nowhere.   It was the 21st century and human technological development was still in its infancy.    They'd only just come up with video chatting across continents, nothing for this scale of an endeavor had been invented yet.  

                Clara knew there had to be a way though.  Humans hundreds of years before her own time period had found ways to build amazing things, like the great wall of China and the pyramids of Giza, with less than half the tools people had now.   If they could do that then she could come up with a solution for this even if she was tired and sore.

                _Hell, I've died and given birth today.   Figuring this out should be the least of my problems_ , Clara thought wryly. 

                The Doctor handed her their child so he could pace the room without waking her up again.   He'd been back and forth across the room so many times Clara was starting to think he was going to wear the carpet down.    She bounced Hazel in her arms once again marveling in how quiet she was, though Clara had a feeling that wasn't going to last forever.  

                Humming softly to her daughter Clara stared blankly at the screen ahead.   Lost in thought it was awhile before she even realized what she was staring at.   Five bars lit up in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.  

                The wifi signal. 

                Clara sat up straighter as her mind took off.  She wasn't obsessed with computers for nothing.   Over the past year or so Clara had learned nearly everything there is or ever will be about computers.   And now she had a plan a forming in her mind.

                "We have to use the wifi."

                "Haha! That's perfect!" shouted the Doctor.   He did a silly little jump in the air before running over to kiss her full on the mouth in front of everyone.  "You're a genius and I love you!"

                That of course woke Hazel up who immediately started crying.   Clara was torn between smiling at her husband's horrified guilty expression and panic over what to do with a crying infant.   Books only got you so far with this kind of thing.

                "I forgot they do that." muttered the Doctor.

                Shushing Hazel and rocking her back to sleep, Clara said, "Well I think you better get used to it."

                "How are we supposed to use the wifi?" asked Clyde once Hazel stopped crying.

                "Well it's literally everywhere." said Luke thoughtfully.

                "Exactly we're living in wifi soup!" 

                "Do you think it would work, Mr. Vale?" asked Queen Elizabeth to the man on the screen. 

                President Obama leaned forward waiting for Carlos' answer.   The scientist frowned thinking it over for a moment.   He ran his fingers through his hair absently before checking several calculations on his computer, muttering under his breath.

                "I think it will work." he said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S.   
> Yes I'm a Welcome to Night Vale fan and you didn't imagine that reference


	35. One Year Gone: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara wrenched herself out of his grip not caring about the hurt look in his eyes. She was pissed. A whole year, more than a whole year, he'd lied to her. He'd said they'd figure out what the photo meant but he already knew. Clara chose to forget the fact that she'd known for awhile too and hadn't said anything either.
> 
> "Why? Why didn't you tell me?" she shouted. The TARDIS would block the noise reaching the nursery.
> 
> The Doctor's voice rose too, "Because I don't understand! Oswin died that day! They've all died!"

 

 

                It took nearly another full 24 hours before they were able to use the signal.  The world awoke to confusion and destruction.  The death toll was high and rising as more and more reports came in.  Not every plane was equipped with an auto-pilot setting.  Thousands had perished when jet liners plummeted from the sky.   And thousands more in cars and hospitals with no one to care for their injuries. 

                The loss and devastation was a heavy toll, but in end the end humanity was still standing.   They even managed to effectively end the 21st century War on Terror.   It turns out terrorists are pretty easy to round up when they're sleeping.   It was the only consolation knowing less people would be killed in endless combat. 

                Clara didn't want the praise and gratitude she received for her idea.  She just wished she could have helped everyone before it was too late.   In the week it took to locate the TARDIS among the frozen wastelands of Antarctica Clara spent the whole time passing off people's thanks to those who actually did the heavy lifting.

                By the time they reached the TARDIS and the Doctor broke down in an embarrassing display hugging the wooden box Clara was past the point of exhaustion.  Hazel kept them up every night.  While just looking at her angel lifted Clara's heart, did she have to cry at 3am every morning?  After a long day of traveling and listening to the names of the hundreds of faceless casualties was a good night's sleep really too much to ask?

                Apparently it was.

                "Welcome home!" the Doctor whispered pushing open the doors.

                He kissed Hazel's little forehead softly.  She gargled and surprised both her parents when she smiled up at them.  Clara gasped, grinning so hard it hurt.  Of course thier baby would be ridiculously advanced, could she have expected anything else?  Clara wondered how long it would be before she started talking too.  There were so many unknowns when it came to Hazel's development.  She'd grown so quickly, would that continue after her birth?  Would she age faster than other children?  They simply didn't know.

                The engines whirled in greeting soothing away her concerns.  They were home.  They were safe.  They were a family.  That came before anything else.  There were still things weighing on Clara's mind though.  Namely, what he'd realized in her dream. 

                Her life - lives - were all connected to the glass world.  She existed throughout time and it all led back to that dark plain.  She knew that, even if she didn't know anything else.  It was strange but it didn't scare her.  There was something about inevitability which left no room for fear.  Clara had no idea what led her to the glass world so there was nothing she could do to change it. 

                She still hadn't talked to her husband about the dream.  How was she supposed to breach that topic?  _Oh by the way honey, it turns out you married a temporal anomaly._   Yeah that would go over great.  Clara knew the Doctor too well.  He would freak-out with concern and she couldn't even explain it to him.  The memories were fuzzy at best, impossible to sift through in her head.  That was probably for the best.  Having so many timelines in her mind at once would drive Clara mad. 

                The memories did however explain a few things.  Raised in the Victorian era she never acted the way she was expected to.  Refusing to accept her station in life or to differ to the rule of men.  Clara questioned everything society told her and now she knew why.  Part of her knew that things weren't always like that and that she could ask more from life.  It also explained why an alien dropping into her world didn’t shock her nearly as much as if should have.  Clara just accepted it then jumped into bed with him.  Hardly the act of a normal Victorian woman.

                Was she even real or merely a ghost?  How could she be sure?

                The Doctor took her hand and Clara decided it didn't matter.  Not now anyway, because this felt real.  He and Hazel were real and they were _hers_.

***

                Hazel's nursery was the most beautiful room on the TARDIS.  The cosmos floated across the walls filled with glittering stars.  An ancient wooden mobile hung over the crib.  Clara sat in the rocking chair with Hazel and just watched it spin slowly.  Of all the things to escape the destruction of Gallifrey it would be this simple object.  The mobile hung over the Doctor's cradle as a child and over the beds of all his children.  It meant so much that he could give this to Hazel too.

                "She sleeping?" the Doctor whispered poking his head through the door.

                Hazel giggled and stretched out her hands to him before Clara could answer.  He laughed swinging her up into his arms.  Hazel let out a peal of bright laughter kicking her little feet as he twirled them around.

                "How about we let your mama get some rest?" the Doctor teased leaning down to kiss Clara. 

                "Rest?  It's been over a month, I've forgotten what rest is?" she smiled.

                That was actually a lie.  The first couple of weeks may have been difficult, but Hazel was a surprisingly well behaved child.  She slept through the night now and hardly ever cried.  Clara's own practical experience with children helped and though the Doctor was rusty he had natural fatherly instincts.  

                Every night when they put Hazel to bed the Doctor would tell her a story.  He told her about the adventures of Tegan, Ace, Zoe, and Rose.  How Martha saved the Earth and Mickey flew an airship.  Hazel would watch him wave his arms about with eyes wide with rapt attention.  Clara loved to watch their antics and hear her daughter giggle when the Doctor made funny voices. 

                She read to Hazel from the book of Gallifreyan fairytales the Doctor had given her.  Her favorite was about a boy who found a bird with a broken wing.  It was sad, but then human fairytales were no different.  In the end the boy who'd grown to love the bird had to set it free even though he knew he would never see it again.  He loved it so he had to let it go. 

                The Doctor tucked Hazel in for the night and helped Clara to her feet.  He pulled her towards their bedroom.

                "Impatient are we, Chin Boy?" she teased.

                They both froze.  A memory came unbidden to the surface of her mind.  It was jarring because the memory was not her own.  Yet it was as clear as if it had happened yesterday.  Clara stumbled into the wall of the hallway.

                _"Rescue me Chin Boy and show me the stars!" Oswin grinned at the stranger on the screen.  He was going to get her off this godforsaken planet once and for all._

                "Clara?" the Doctor asked concern painted on his face.

                She looked up at him eyes wide.  She couldn’t believe this.  "You were there."

                His brow furrowed in confusion, "I was where?"

                "With the Daleks." said Clara her voice turning hard.  "With Oswin."

                The Doctor paled confirming her suspicions.  He knew!  He knew all along there was more than one of her and he never said anything! How?

                "You remember that?" he gasped, mouth hanging open.

                Clara wrenched herself out of his grip not caring about the hurt look in his eyes.  She was pissed.  A whole year, more than a whole year, he'd lied to her.  He'd said they'd figure out what the photo meant but he already knew.  Clara chose to forget the fact that she'd known for awhile too and hadn't said anything either. 

                "Why?  Why didn't you tell me?" she shouted.  The TARDIS would block the noise reaching the nursery.

                The Doctor's voice rose too, "Because I don’t understand!  Oswin died that day!  They've all died!"

                "You knew about the others too?"

                "How do _you_ know about them?"

                "Because I remember!  I don’t know why but I'm starting to remember them.  But that’s not the point.  You lied to me.  You didn’t say anything!"

                Clara went to shove past him when the Doctor grabbed her arm forcing her to face him.  His expression was dark.  She'd never seen him angry with her before.

                "I didn’t say anything because I thought it would hurt you.  I thought it would destroy your mind." he said evenly.

                They glared at each other for a minute.

                Then the Doctor seized the back of her neck and crushed her mouth to his.  Frustration and want spilled over as Clara pressed into the kiss, nails digging into the back of his shirt.  She was angry and worried and she needed this.   His hands weren't gentle as they slid down to find her hips.  Clara inhaled sharply when he lifted her up.   Wrapping her legs around his waist her fingers pulled at his hair.  

                Carrying her to their room they fell back onto the bed.   It was a mess of half-spoken words and accusations and apologies that Clara didn't care about now.   Right now she only wanted to feel the drag of the Doctor's skin against hers and the roll of their bodies.    Fisting the sheets as he pulled at her roughly Clara lost herself to sensation.     

***

                The TARDIS doors swung open letting in a warm familiar breeze.  The scent of tropical flowers swirled around Clara.   The now four month old Hazel squirmed in her arms straining to see outside.  She was dressed in a tiny pink swimsuit making her look like a doll.  A bit a doll which never stopped moving or babbling.  Hazel had a long way to go before she mastered human speech, but that didn't stop her from trying. 

                Clara carried her out onto the warm beach laughing as Hazel squealed pointing at everything in sight.  She had the same insatiable curiosity as her father.   The man in question wrapped his arms around Clara's waist, chuckling at his daughter's excitement. 

                "Yep, that's the ocean.  Well one of them anyway, actually there are lots of oceans.  The Pacific, the Zealen, the Tanear, the --"

                "Doctor, you're rambling."

                "Alas, your mother is right." said the Doctor.  He glazed from Hazel to Clara his smile growing.  "But this ones special.  This is where your mother agreed to marry me."

                Clara shared his smile and looked around.  The island was exactly as she remembered.  The strip of yellow sand against the line of palms and tropical jungle.  She could even see the strange fruit trees.  A warm feeling which had nothing to do with the sun filled her.  So much had happened since she was here last; it was kind of nice to know that some things hadn't changed. 

                "It's just as beautiful as I remember." said Clara.

                "Yeah." he murmured staring at her with a slightly stunned expression.

                They took Hazel down to the water.  The Doctor held her so the little waves just touched her toes.  She kicked at the water shrieking in happiness.  On a whim Clara fell back into the waves to make Hazel laugh.  The sun kissed ocean made her sleepy and relaxed.  Here they could be a normal family on a vacation.  No life or death, no running from angry dictators, or impeding asteroid collisions.  Just a normal family.

                The Doctor set out a lunch for them on their beach towels.  Clara watched with amusement, bouncing Hazel on her hip, as he tried to make it look like a proper English picnic.  She couldn’t hold back her laughter when he pulled out an actual teapot - granted it was a self heating teapot - but still.  The Doctor mock glared at her for making fun of his efforts.

                "What?" she asked innocently.

                He raised his eyebrow giving her a pointed look.

                "Safia!" cried Hazel.

                "See she gets it."

                Clara picked up her sandwich with a cheeky grin and didn't answer. 

                The Doctor propped Hazel on his lap muttering, "If you grow up to be as bad as her I'll never survive."

                Enjoying their easy banter Clara finished her meal than lay back on the towel letting the sun dry her salt covered skin. 


	36. One Year Gone: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly Hazel pointed, shrieking, over Clara's shoulder. The governor's men were in the narrow alleyway too. Thankfully they didn't seem willing to aim their guns at a woman holding a seven month old child. They were just men doing their jobs and obviously didn't want to hurt them. The governor was another matter and Clara didn't want to go to jail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings Lovely Readers!
> 
> whoa only one chapter left O_0 I can't quite believe it!
> 
> Let me know what you've thought of this crazy story!
> 
> and without further ado...
> 
> Enjoy :D

**~One Year Gone: Part 2~**

 

                "Run!" the Doctor shouted.

                "No kidding!" Clara panted between breaths. 

                Carrying a baby made the whole running for her life thing a lot harder.  Hazel smiled brightly as they raced through the crowed city streets.  She was enjoying this way too much, Clara blamed her father.  People watched in surprise as they ran past, dodging traffic and street vendors.  They stood out among the red-skinned inhabitants of the planet making them easy to follow.  A troop of uniformed officers crashed around the corner behind them.

                "Halt!" they cried in vain.

                Clara and the Doctor ducked into a side ally hoping to shake their pursuers.  She tightened her grip on Hazel.  The little girl's dark hair was a mess and one of her shoes was missing.  It made her see red.   Hazel wasn't hurt in anyway but that didn't make a difference to Clara.  

                "I can't believe you managed to piss off the governor on our first day here." She shouted at her idiot of a husband.

                He tried to shrug while running and nearly landed face first on the pavement.  "How was I supposed to know that she was actually a he?"

                Suddenly Hazel pointed, shrieking, over Clara's shoulder.   The governor's men were in the narrow alleyway too.   Thankfully they didn't seem willing to aim their guns at a woman holding a seven month old child.   They were just men doing their jobs and obviously didn't want to hurt them.  The governor was another matter and Clara didn't want to go to jail.

                "Give up there's nowhere left to run." called one of the officers.

                "On the contrary!" the Doctor said pulling open the doors to a blue phone box tucked behind a dumpster.  "I believe there is."

                Cursing his theatrics Clara sprinted inside.  The doors snapped shut behind them.  They could hear the men shouting in confusion and banging on the wood.   It wouldn’t do them any good.   The Doctor skidded into the console and started pulling levers.   The engines whirled to life as the TARDIS dematerialized.  Irritated Clara marched off without a word heading to Hazel's nursery.  

                The Doctor found them later sitting on the floor of the library surrounded by picture books.   Hazel was propped up on her mother's lap clinging to a copy of _Fox in Sox_.   Clara read the rhyming words in a sing-song voice which Hazel loved.   She ignored her hovering husband for the moment. 

                That is until Hazel noticed him.

                "Dadda!" she cried.

                "Oh my god!" Clara and the Doctor gasped. 

                Any argument was forgotten completely.   The Doctor dropped down next to them and took Hazel into his arms.  Giddy amazement covered his features and Clara was sure she looked the same.   She was grinning so hard it hurt.  Their daughter just spoke!  Neither of them really knew what to do they were so surprised.

                "Dadda!" Hazel cried again planting a kiss on his cheek. 

                "That's right baby." the Doctor laughed.  He pointed at Clara, "And who's that?"

                Hazel looked at him like he was an idiot.  "Mamma." she said seriously. 

                Clara burst out in a fit of giggles, "Good girl."  

                She leaned against the Doctor letting him wrap his arms around her.  They nested Hazel between them.   He picked up another book and together they started reading.   It didn't take long until Hazel fell asleep her little hand clutching her father's waistcoat. 

***

                "No." Hazel pouted. 

                 It was one of her favorite words now and one she liked using on her mother several times a day.   The Doctor caved way too easily and therefore Clara band him from the naptime routine.   Which was what Hazel's current 'no' was about.  

                "You're tired.  You have to go to sleep, honey." Clara said gently, but firmly. 

                "No." Hazel said then yawned her little eyes blinking furiously in her effort to stay conscious. 

                Warm air swirled around them both accompanied by a soft lullaby.   Clara smiled.   The TARDIS was a surprisingly good nanny.   Hazel's eyes drooped as the warmth and music destroyed her efforts to stay awake.    She hugged her stuffed rabbit and was out like a light.

                "Thank you." Clara whispered.

                The air ruffled her hair affectionately conveying the ships gratitude.  Carefully she closed the door and slipped down the hall towards the kitchen. 

                The Doctor was working at the stove, his sleeves rolled up and hair a mess.   Clara leaned against the fridge watching him carefully.  Her eyes lingered on the muscles in his arms.   Glancing over he caught her expression.   The Doctor eyes widened, expression stunned.      Clara smiled, enjoying how easily she could distract him.   He looked so adorable and lost as she let her desire play on her face.

                  Abandoning the dish the Doctor crossed the small space and sealed her mouth with his, pressing her against the refrigerator.   The chill of the stainless steel on her skin made Clara gasp.  She tangled her fingers in the Doctor's hair, arching into him and rolling her hips against his.  He moaned sliding his hand under her blouse to cup her breast.  His touch and the heat between them made Clara dizzy.  

                They broke apart breathing heavy.   

                "Food's going to burn."  Clara teased.   

                The Doctor kissed her throat, hands sliding to the band of her jeans.  "Screw it." he muttered between kisses. 

                Clara laughed breathlessly.    She brought his mouth back up to hers taking his bottom lip between her own.   They fit together perfectly.  They were puzzle pieces made for each other and as long as Clara lived it would never cease to amaze her.    She could feel his heartbeats racing where her fingers rested against his neck. 

                He opened her blouse to tail kisses across her collar bone.   "It's very hard to get anything done with you around."

                "I was just standing here innocently."

                "Sure you were." the Doctor said kissing her lips again softly. 

                "Umm I really think the food is burning now."

                He spun around.  "Oh hell!"

***

                One year.  Today it would be one year.   Clara couldn't quite fathom the idea that it was her daughter's first birthday.   Where did the time go?  She lay in bed listening to the Doctor's breathing, thinking over the day's plans.   They were going to first to see her father and then to see the rest of their friends.   They weren't showing up anywhere near Christmas though.   June was just going to have to be ok, but they weren't taking any more chances on that front. 

                "Time to get up." she said kissing the Doctor's temple.

                He mumbled indistinctly. 

                "None of that.  We've got a lot to do today." Clara nipped at his ear playfully. 

                The Doctor groaned then rolled over her, pinning her down.  "You're so demanding."

                "None of that either."  Having his body flush against her made thinking difficult. 

                "Alright, alright."  He pulled her up with him laughing when Clara protested the sudden cold. 

                Finally they both got up and dressed.   The TARDIS made Hazel a pink fluffy dress for her birthday.   Clara put a matching bow in her short hair.  She looked like a tiny ballerina.   After taking a bunch of photos of the grinning little girl, Clara left for the kitchen.   She was going to make a little cake for Hazel and a soufflé for her and the Doctor. 

                The TARDIS played music while she baked and put up a screen showing the living room.  The Doctor was playing with Hazel.  Their daughter had taken her first steps a few weeks ago and now could go several yards without falling over.   The Doctor would move from one end of the room to the other letting Hazel totter slowly over to him.  She got really excited whenever she made it to his waiting arms.   Laughing with the unabashed happiness only children could master. 

                Clara stirred her bowl just watching them.   The music changes and she stops what she's doing.  It's a song Clara hasn't heard before.

                _'If I should die this very moment_  
                I wouldn't fear   
                For I've never known completeness   
                like being here' 

She set down the bowl slowly.  Her heart constricted, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. 

                _'Wrapped in the warmth of you_  
                loving every breath of you  
                still in my heart this moment   
                or it might burst' 

                Clara hit skip cutting off the rest of the song.   A tear ran down her cheek and she had no idea why.   It didn't make any sense but some part of her felt like it was a warning.   Something was coming.  

                Therefore when the proximity alarms went off Clara didn't even blink.   She just pulled Hazel to her and met her husband's eyes.

                "I love you." she said.

                Because Clara knew what was coming.


	37. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly shapes started to form around them. Inhuman and indefinable. Black, hazy creatures circled the living room. Clara tucked Hazel's head into her chest preventing her from seeing anything that was happening. It was the only protection she could offer. She needed to get Hazel out of there, she needed to do something. Her nightmares were coming to life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god guys! I'm actually crying right now like a total dork.
> 
> it's the last chapter of this and I just can't believe it. 300 + pages and over 74,000 word! I've never written so much in my life and its all because of you guys. your amazing support and words of encouragement literally changed my life. I know that sounds cheesy but it's true. I'd pretty much given up on my dream of writing books for a living but you all changed that. And for that I seriously cannot thank you all enough! Just love and hugs and cupcakes everywhere XD
> 
> Ok I'll stop rambling like a madwoman. I just have to say thank you and I love you to everyone who read, favorite, followed, or reviewed this story. You have my eternal gratitude.
> 
> So now without further ado, I give you the end.
> 
> Enjoy! XD

**~The End~**

 

                The lights flickered and the engine whined.  It sounded concerned, uneasy, afraid.  The TARDIS didn't know what was happening.   The hairs on Clara's arms stood on end as crackles of static electricity filled the space.  It made Hazel whimper and clutch at her shirt.  Clara kissed the top of her head, rubbing soothing circles on her back.   She wanted to take Hazel and run, but there was nowhere to run to.

                The Doctor spun around pulling his sonic screwdriver from inside his purple jacket.   Confusion masked his face and fear colored his words.  "We're in the middle of nowhere.  There can't be anything else out this far."

                "They can." Clara said softly.

                He turned to her wide eyed.  "You know what this is?"

                The problem was she really didn't.  It was a mess in her head, like trying to remember a dream after you've woken up.   Flashes of the glass world and the things moving in the shadows of that cold, echoing place filled her mind.  

                "The shadows are coming." Clara whispered. 

                A second alarm blared to life cutting off his reply.  A security breach.   Something was coming in when nothing should be capable of breaking into the TARDIS.   The static intensified.   The pins-and-needles feeling began to hurt.  

                Suddenly shapes started to form around them.  Inhuman and indefinable.   Black, hazy creatures circled the living room.   Clara tucked Hazel's head into her chest preventing her from seeing anything that was happening.   It was the only protection she could offer.   She needed to get Hazel out of there, she needed to do something.   Her nightmares were coming to life.

                Clara felt the Doctor's back against hers as they faced the creatures invading their home.   His touch made her feel braver, calmer.   She leveled her gaze at the shape directly in front of her.

                "Get out of my home."

                A crackling of electricity was the only response.  She didn't know if the thing even could hear her.   Hazel began to cry, trembling in Clara's arms.   It pushed her past fear to anger. 

                "Do you know who I am?" the Doctor said, his voice dark and threatening. 

                "Yes."  crackled an inhuman voice from every direction as if they spoke together. 

                Clara screamed when the shadows flung themselves forward.   She tried to shield Hazel with her body just as the Doctor tried to shield her.   His sonic didn't stop them.    The creatures descended upon them and then Clara felt like she was falling.

                "Hazel!" Clara cried.  

                Squeezing pressure forced her eyes closed while the world around her changed form.   She refused to ever let go of her daughter.   The Doctor's hands gripped her tight holding them together.  No matter what happened they had to stay together.  

                The world righted itself but it wasn't the world they left.    They stood in the center of a circular room covered in mirrors.   Hazel was still in her arms, she'd gone silent in shock.   Clara saw her own pale face reflected back at her.   Except that wasn't all she saw in the glass.   Ghost images flickered in the surface, reflections of things beyond this room.   It teased and distorted perception. 

                They weren't alone in the room either.   Tall, pale creatures in long white robes surrounded them.    Their skin looked like candle wax and they were thin as skeletons.   The creatures had no eyes, yet Clara knew they were watching her.  

                It took Clara a moment to recognize their shape.   These were the shadows only they weren't shadows anymore.   In this place they were solid.  

                "Watzul, it's been a very long time."  said the Doctor evenly.   He held Clara close against him, but kept his eyes on their captors. 

                "Time Lord." responded the beings as one.  Even their voice had more substance here.  The voice sounded polite, pleasant almost, which Clara didn't buy for a second.  "It has indeed been a long time."

                "Darling, why don't you introduce me to your friends." she said pointedly.   Clara wanted to know what the hell was going on.

                "These are the Watzul, the people of the void.   They exist between time and between space."

                "The space between spaces." intoned the voice. 

                The Doctor frowned, "Except they shouldn't be able to bleed into our reality.   The walls between worlds are closed.  I closed them."

                The air shook as the Watzul rustled with anger at his words.   "Yes, the Time Lords once controlled our movements.   They ruled so they alone could move freely through the realities, leaving us to the void.   Then you, last of the Time Lords, tried to close us off forever." 

                "Every reality would have died if didn't close the gaps." he said.  "I had no choice." 

                "Everything has a choice, just as you choose to destroy your own kind.   You killed our greatest enemies."

                "Then why are we here?" Clara demanded.   She could see the effect that Watzul's words were having on her husband.  The Doctor's face went blank, his eyes vacant and cold.  

                "Because we believed the Time Lords died with you.   Now you, their destroyer, have brought them back.  And that we cannot allow.  The Time Lords reign must end."

                "If you touch a hair on my daughter's head then you will see exactly why the Daleks called me the Predator." the Doctor declared, his voice soft.  "If you know me so well, then you know not to cross me."

                The figures shifted moving closer.  "Time Lord, we do not hurt the innocent.  We are not like you."

                The Doctor flinched. 

                "We only punish the guilty." 

                As one the Watzul darted forward ripping Clara away from him.   She tried to fight.  Hazel cried out, her little arms wrapping tightly around Clara's neck.   It was no use.  Watzul dragged her back holding her in their iron grasp.   Hazel was pulled from her.

                "Mama!" the little girl cried.

                "It's ok.  It'll be ok." Clara sobbed.

                The creatures pushed the Doctor against one of the mirrors.   The moment his skin made contact it began to flicker more rapidly.   Scenes and people and events flashed past too quick to register.   It was a blur of times and places.

                "Let him go! Please!" Clara shouted.  "What are you doing?"

                 "It has taken nearly all our energy to  
enter this space.  One lifetime frozen and reflected.  And today we shall make it your lifetime.  Time has no meaning here and here we can take away your time.  Shatter it into a thousand pieces."

                Clara could see the Doctor's growing panic.  His eyes darted between her and Hazel.  He tried to aim his sonic screwdriver only to have it wrenched from his grasp.   A Watzul held him still while he struggled desperately.    The others stepped back.  They lined the wall beside Clara as if they were jurors watching a trial unfold. 

                "Please!  Just let them go! Please!" the Doctor cried in tears of frustration. 

                One of the Watzul brought out a long metal club.   It stepped up to the mirror and finally Clara understood.  

                _Shatter._   They said shatter.  This was how it happened.  This was how she reached the glass world.   This was how she saved them. 

                The Watzul were stronger than her, but Clara new her plan would work.  Because it already had.  She was only competing the cycle.   With one last glance at Hazel, Clara threw her head back while dropping her feet out from under her.   Surprised by the sudden shift in weight the Watzul loosened its grasp.  

                Flinging herself forward Clara sprinted across the floor.  The creature with the club swung at her but Clara dodged slipping under his arm.   In a place where time didn't exist it was amazing how slow it seemed to move.   The Doctor broke one of his arms free from the Watzul holding him.   He saw what she was going to do and reached out to stop her.

                Clara crashed into the glass.  The images changed to her own life.  The impact of her body shattered the glass sending spider web cracks across its surface.   Clara felt it pulling her through.   She could feel her timeline cracking.  

                As Clara dissolved into blue light she met the eyes of the love of all her lifetimes.  

                "Save her." she said and disappeared. 

***

                The Doctor could do nothing when his wife sacrificed herself.   He couldn't shout.  He couldn't scream.  He couldn't even cry.   Clara dissolved into the mirror with a brilliant flash of blue energy.   The Watzul howled in shock and confusion.   She'd taken away their only weapon.   The portal had taken a lifetime and now it couldn't take his. 

                Hazel screamed.   The Doctor found a strength he'd never known when he heard that sound.   He'd lost his children before and he would _never_ go through that again. 

                He wouldn't lose Hazel too.  

                Using their panic against them the Doctor kicked and punched his way free.   He was the Oncoming Storm once again, the Time Lord Victorious, and nothing could stop him.  Most of the Watzul were frozen in stunned amazement their eyeless faces following his movements.  

                "Dadda help!" his daughter cried reaching out to him. 

                The Doctor freed his sonic screwdriver from a Watzul's grasp and turned it on him.  Hitting it with the highest setting the wave of sound sent the creature to the ground blood streaming from its ears and mouth.   It stopped moving leaving a ringing silence.

                "It seems this works on you here." the Doctor said.   "Give me my daughter.  It's over."

                No one moved for a long moment. 

                "We shall meet again Time Lord." said the voice.

                The pins-and-needles feeling returned along with a pressure which crushed his chest.   He ran to Hazel as the world shifted again.  Grabbing her just in time, the Watzul and the circle room vanished.  The Doctor landed on his knees cradling Hazel.  

                They were in the living room.  They were on the TARDIS.  He let out a sob, kissing and hugging his daughter tightly.   She was alive.   The Doctor leaned back checking in a panic to see if Hazel was injured.

                Her eyes which were just like Clara's looked up at him in confusion.  "Where Mama?" she asked tearfully.  "Where Mama?"

                "I don't know baby.  I don't -"  

                His breath caught in his throat.  The Doctor did know.  He knew exactly where Clara was.  She was in the void.  And if the Watzul could get out than he could get in.  He could save her.

                "Were going to get her back." He said scooping Hazel up and scrambling to his feet. 

                 He ran to the console room.   Cold air swirled around him.  The light flashed blue.  The TARDIS knew what he was planning and she was afraid.   If they stayed too long in the void the ship would be drained.   Then they'd all be dead. 

                The Doctor strapped Hazel into a chair.   He flew to the console tower and staring typing in coordinates.  "Trust me.  We can do this." he told the ship.

                The engines hummed in agreement.  The ship wouldn't let him or Clara down and the Doctor knew it.   Holding on as tightly as he could the Doctor pulled a lever sending them flying into the space between worlds.  Sparks flew everywhere.   The room shook violently.   This broke the laws of nature but that’s what Time Lords did best. 

***

                                _'If I should die this very moment_  
                                I wouldn't fear   
                                For I've never known completeness   
                                like being here' 

                                                _'Wrapped in the warmth of you_  
                                loving every breath of you   
                                still in my heart this moment   
                                or it might burst' 

                Clara could hear it this time.  It floated in the cold air, mixing with the mist.  The last song she heard.   No wonder it scared her that morning.  It was in the background of every dream she had of here, she just hadn't realized.  

                It's so bizarre that Clara let out a hysterical giggle.   The sound echoed out over the empty field of glass.  Then she started to cry.  Clara sunk to the ground ignoring the shards cutting into her skin.   Blood ran in rivets staining her white dress red.   She would never see her baby again.  She would never kiss the Doctor or feel his touch again.   She'd lost everything. 

                What will become of her now?  Will she just exist in the non-place forever or will she fade away like a ghost?  Clara knew she would go mad with grief long before then.   

                "Please." she sobbed, "Please." 

                Minutes or hours or days or years passed.  She didn't know.   All she could feel was the cold and the pain in her chest.  She wanted to fade away.  She wanted to be gone.  She wanted to go home.  

                A ripping noise shattered the silence.   It was deafening in the glass world.   A blue light like electricity bloomed in the dark sky.  Clara got to her feet staring in amazement as the TARDIS materialized before her.  

                Clara cried harder, relief overwhelming her.   She sprinted to the phone box not carrying that her feet were being shredded by the glass.   The doors flew open and there he was.   The Doctor shouted her name reaching out for her. 

                "Clara!  I can't hold us here much longer!" he cried tears streaming down his face as he grabbed her and pulled her inside. 

                The TARDIS took off immediately.   Rocking like a ship in a storm.  Clara and the Doctor collapsed onto the floor holding each other.  Clara was shaking violently, clutching his shirt.  She couldn't believe he was real. 

                "You found me." She said pressing her face into his neck. 

                "Always and forever." the Doctor whispered, rocking her in his arms. 

                "Mama! You here!" Hazel cried from her chair. 

                "Yeah baby." Clara laughed, "I'm right here." 

                The ship landed with a resounding thud and stopped moving.   Clara and the Doctor pulled each other to their feet.  They were unable to let go of one another and probably wouldn't be for a long time.   Clara limped over to her daughter and unbuckled her.   She kissed Hazel over and over, telling her how much she loved her.  

                "Love you too Mama, papa." Hazel said kissing her on the cheek. 

                The Doctor rested his forehead against Clara's temple.  "Promise me you will never do that to me again." he whispered in a hoarse voice.  

                Clara placed a hand on his cheek softly.   His expression was so raw it hurt.  "I'll never leave you." She said. 

                The three of them stood in silence for a minute simply holding each other.   They needed to comfort and reassurance that they were all still together.  That they were alright. 

                Clara gasped when there was a loud knock on the door.   She was afraid something else was going to attack them. 

                "Hey Doc! You in there?" called a familiar voice. 

                "We landing in Cardiff?" the Doctor breathed in disbelieve.   Keeping a tight grip on Clara's hand he went over to the door and opened it. 

                Captain Jack Harkness stood on the other side.  His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline when he saw them.  The Doctor and Hazel dirty and disheveled, and Clara covered in blood.   

                "What the hell were you to doing?" Jack demanded.

                Clara glanced at her husband.  When he met her eyes the corners of his mouth turned up slowly.   The Doctor started laughing and she couldn't stop herself from laughing too.  Jack just stared at them in confusion. 

                "That," said the Doctor. "Is a really long story."


End file.
